The Los Angeles Post

COVID-19 Travel Advisory Updates

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04/14/2022 03:27 PM EDT

Office of the Spokesperson

The Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.  We are committed to providing U.S. citizens with up-to-date and timely information, so they are informed as they make international travel plans and when they are abroad.

Given the increases in international travel, the availability of effective COVID-19 mitigation measures, and recently announced changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Travel Health Notice (THN) process, we have reassessed how COVID-19 considerations factor into our Travel Advisory levels for U.S. citizens.

Starting next week, the State Department Travel Advisory levels will no longer automatically correlate with the CDC COVID-19 THN level.  However, if the CDC raises a country’s COVID-19 THN to a Level 4, the State Department’s Travel Advisory for that country will also be raised to a Level 4: Do Not Travel due to COVID-19.

This update will leave approximately 10% of all Travel Advisories at Level 4: Do Not Travel.  This 10% includes Level 4 Travel Advisories for all risk indicators, not just COVID-19.  We believe the updated framework will help U.S. citizens make better informed decisions about the safety of international travel.

Although conditions have recently improved, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over.  We continue to advise travelers to consider COVID-19 conditions and restrictions at their destinations when considering international travel.  Our embassies and consulates around the world will continue to provide the latest country-specific COVID-19-related information on their websites.  To see the latest State Department Travel Advisories for any country in the world, visit travel.state.gov.  We encourage U.S. citizens who are considering international travel this summer to check their passport expiration date and act now to renew or apply for the first time.  Keep in mind many countries require passports to have at least six months’ remaining validity for entry.  Routine passport processing can take eight to eleven weeks. For information on U.S. passports, please visit travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html.