THE United States has issued an updated travel advisory, banning travel by its citizens to nearly 160 countries including the Philippines, as the pandemic in America has reached 31.8 million cases with 568,000 deaths.
The Department of State said the update will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at Level 4, meaning “Do Not Travel,” to approximately 80 percent of countries worldwide.
Level 4 is the highest travel warning category of the State Department.
The US already has 34 countries, including Chad, Kosovo, Kenya, Argentina, Russia and Tanzania, under the Level 4 warning. About 130 more will be added now, according to Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster.
The State Department added the ban does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country, “but reflects an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to rely more on Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) existing epidemiological assessments.”
Its advisory added: “The Covid-19 outbreak continues to pose unprecedented risks to travelers. In the light of those risks, the Department strongly recommends US citizens reconsider all travel abroad.”
The Philippines has been grappling with the spike in infections and deaths in recent months that led to the re-imposition of stricter lockdowns in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces until April 30.
On Tuesday, the Philippines, which has the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia, registered 7,379 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total tally to 953,106; it listed 93 new fatalities.
The government has rolled out a sluggish vaccination program as the country’s initial purchases of the vaccine encountered problems, while deliveries have fallen short due to constraints of manufacturers.
Meanwhile, travel to Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, is also discouraged by the US, citing crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping.
Americans are also warned against traveling to Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest. The once-progressive Islamic city was ravaged by a 5-month siege by home-grow but Isis-inspired terrorists in 2017.
Image credits: Stephanie Tumampos