Travelers line check-in lines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington, USA April 12, 2021. REUTERS / Lindsey Wasson
The United States Department of State added at least 116 countries to its “ Level Four: Do Not Travel ” advisory list this week, adding the UK, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico, Germany, and others, citing a ‘very high level’. from COVID-19. “
On Monday, the State Department said it would increase the number of countries receiving the highest advisory rating to about 80% of countries worldwide.
Before Tuesday, the State Department listed 34 of the 200 or so countries as “Do not travel.” The State Department now lists 150 countries at level four. It declined to say when it would complete the updates.
The State Department said Monday that the move did not involve a reassessment of the current health situation in some countries, but rather reflects an “ adjustment in the State Department’s travel counseling system to rely more on (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s existing epidemiological assessments. “
The recommendations are not mandatory and will not deter Americans from traveling.
Other countries in the “Do Not Travel” list include Finland, Egypt, Belgium, Turkey, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Some countries, such as China and Japan, remain on level 3: rethink travel. “
Most Americans have already been unable to travel to much of Europe due to COVID-19 restrictions. Washington has excluded nearly all non-US citizens who have recently been to most of Europe, China, Brazil, Iran, and South Africa.
On Tuesday, the United States extended an additional 30-day restrictions for 13 months banning non-essential travel at the Canadian and Mexican borders.
Nick Calio, who heads Airlines for America, a trade group representing major US airlines, told a US Senate panel on Wednesday that policymakers needed to find a “roadmap” to reopen international travel.
Earlier this month, the CDC said fully vaccinated people could travel safely within the United States at “low risk,” but its director, Rochelle Walensky, discouraged Americans from doing so due to the high cases of coronavirus across the country.
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