US to extend “no travel” recommendations to 80% of countries in the world due to coronavirus pandemic

The US State Department said on Monday that it would extend its recommendation not to “travel” to about 80% of countries around the world, citing “unprecedented risk to travelers” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

External relations authorities 34 of the nearly 200 countries have already been listed as “Level 4: Don’t travel”, including places such as Chad, Kosovo, Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, Haiti, Mozambique, Russia and Tanzania.

“This update will significantly increase the number of countries at level 4: Don’t travel to about 80% of countries worldwide“The department said in a statement. Reaching 80% would mean adding almost 130 countries.

The State Department said the measure does not involve a reassessment of current health conditions in some countries, but rather “reflects an adjustment of the State Department’s travel counseling system to rely more on existing epidemiological assessments (of the Centers Disease Control and Prevention) ”.

Most Americans have already been banned from traveling in much of Europe due to COVID-19 restrictions. Washington has banned almost all non-US citizens who have recently been in most of Europe, China, Brazil, Iran and South Africa..

The White House has not given a deadline to ease these restrictions.

Asked for comments on the State Department announcement, Airlines for America, a trade group representing America’s major airlines, said that “the U.S. airline industry has been a strong advocate for developing a data-driven roadmap and risks to restore international travel ”. The group added that it continues to “urge the federal government to set transparent criteria – including clear values, benchmarks and a timetable – for the reopening of international markets.”

The CDC did not comment immediately.

Earlier this month, the CDC said that People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can travel safely to the United States with “low risk,” but CDC director Rochelle Walensky has advised Americans not to do so because of the large number of coronavirus cases across the country..

(With information from Reuters / By David Shepardson)

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