Amid COVID-19 concerns, US lifts foreign travel restrictions for citizens

The US State Department on Thursday lifted its foreign travel Level-4 advisory that was put in place five months ago in March. The advisory had urged the American nationals to avoid international travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The lifting the global health advisory was done in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency stated. 'Level 4' is the highest level of the travel advisory.

"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 travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," the State Department said.

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The advisory will also provide US citizens with more detailed information about the current status in each country. "We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic," the statement said.

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India under 'Do Not Travel Category'

According to the travel advisory, India is placed in the 'Do Not Travel Category', as of August 6 and the same is the case for China as well since June. American travellers continue to face restrictions worldwide due to the rise of coronavirus cases in the USA. According to the international media reports, the US tourists have been prohibited from entering the European Union and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine upon entry to the UK.

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COVID-19 cases in the US

According to the latest figures shared by the Worldometer United States has 5,032,179 coronavirus cases, out of which 2,576,668 are recovered cases. The country has so far recorded 162,804 deaths. 

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