In a first sign that international travel is beginning to open up, the U.S. State Department dropped its Level 4 Travel advisory for most nations.
The Global Advisory, initially put in place on March 19, 2020, advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of the COVID-19 virus.
“With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions,” the agency stated in its press release.
“This will also provide U.S. citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country. We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.”
U.S. citizens considering traveling abroad can review the entire Travel Advisory for their destination(s) on Travel.State.gov A full list of recent updates to Travel Advisories can be found here.
Still listed among the Level 4 Travel advisories are China, Russia, India, Brazil, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, North Korea, Afghanistan, Mexico, and most of Central and South America. Getting a clean bill of health are Malta and Taiwan (Level 1). Level 2 countries include Thailand, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Mauritius, and Antarctica.
Almost all the rest of the world’s countries fit into the Level 3 category, which has the designation “Reconsider Travel”. Many of the countries in this group were there in previous versions on the list due to either crime or political instability, and travelers should not take these rankings to be based solely on Covid-19 statistics. As an example, Belize which had only 18 infections and two deaths from the virus is listed as a Level 4 advisory, due we assume to crime following the pandemic.
Americans are still not allowed to enter a number of other countries around the world because of the U.S.’s high coronavirus infection rate, including in all 26 European Union member states.
To view a story covering which countries welcome US travelers click here. To view Teplis Travel’s list of quarantines in US states, click here. Our Covid-19 coverage begins here.
Teplis Travel offers consulting service for our clients to help them cut through the global politics involved in these rankings and make informed decisions regarding corporate or vacation travel. Every destination is different, and every traveler is different, so evaluating risk and weighing these against your company’s corporate needs are crucial considerations.
To find out more about becoming a Teplis client contact your Teplis representative today at 888-368-0146 or visit the website to learn more and start planning a safe and enjoyable trip!
