What we know as US officially issues ‘do not travel’ warning for 21 countries
The US has officially issued a ‘do not travel’ warning for 21 countries.
America is continuing to expand its 'do not travel list'. The list currently had 21 countries on it as of April 30, with the US State Department constantly reviewing the situation with a risk assessment for each country.
Here's everything we know about the warnings and how the agency issues them.
The State Department warns against travelling to certain countries for reasons ranging from armed conflict, terrorism, civil unrest, wrongful detention, health, the likelihood of a natural disaster, current events and crime, with a handful recently bumped up to a Level 4 warning.
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The four travel advisory levels are as follows:
- Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
- Level 2: Exercise increased caution
- Level 3: Reconsider travel
- Level 4: Do not travel
Level 1 remains the lowest advisory and indicates there might be some risk associated with travel while Level 2 could mean certain areas of the country are dangerous.
Both these levels are assessed by the department at least every 12 months.
Level 3 advises Americans to reconsider due to 'serious risks to safety and security,' while Level 4, the highest, refers to a 'greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.'
The State Department reviews these two every six months.
Anyone who willingly travels to a Level 4 country is further advised to write a will and leave DNA samples in case of a worst-case scenario.
Changes to the list
Recent changes to the list include the advisory for Mexico, which has differing levels across each state within the country that range from Level 1 to Level 4, although the travel advice for Mexico as a whole has been at Level 2 for some time already.
Meanwhile, North Korea and Burkina Faso are just some of the countries that have recently been upgraded to the highest level.
The agency warns North Korea is strongly discouraged due to the 'continuing serious risk of arrest, long-term detention and the threat of wrongful detention.'
Burkina Faso similarly holds a strong warning because of increased 'terrorism, crime and kidnapping' threat.
These updates have brought the total number of countries on the list to 21.
Some examples in the Level 1 category are: Canada, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Argentina and some Caribbean islands, including Aruba and St. Lucia.
At Level 2 sits some popular European countries, including the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
China, South Africa, Morocco, Peru, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands are also in Level 2.
On Level 3 include Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala and Jamaica.
And finally, the 21 countries on the 'do not travel' list include Russia and Ukraine, due to the conflict between the two countries since President Vladimir Putin's invasion, as well as North Korea, Syria, Iraq and Sudan.
The full list is as follows:
- North Korea
- Burkina Faso
- Yemen
- Iran
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Afghanistan
- Lebanon
- Central African Republic
- Belarus
- Iraq
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Haiti
- Libya
- Somalia
- Russia
- Burma
- Mali
- Sudan
Canada has seen a slump in its flights jetting off to the US in recent months (Getty Images)
Canada cuts travel
The changes also come amid bubbling global tensions and security situations across the world, with Canada recently cutting routes to the US amid the tensions with the Trump administration over the trade war.
That, and the POTUS has made several controversial comments about acquiring Canada as the '51st state.'
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), travellers from Canada fell by 12.5 percent in February and 18 percent in March.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, Travel, US News, Canada, China, Tariffs, Russia, Ukraine, Mexico
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