The United States has issued an advisory against travel to 21 countries, marking them with a ‘do not travel’ warning.
The list of countries that Americans are advised not to visit is expanding, with the US State Department evaluating each country’s risk level. As of April 30, the list includes 21 nations.
Here’s how the State Department issues these travel advisories and what they mean.
The department advises against travel to certain countries due to various reasons, including armed conflict, terrorism, civil unrest, wrongful detention, health risks, potential natural disasters, current events, and crime. Some countries have recently been escalated to a Level 4 warning.
Level 1 indicates minimal risk, while Level 2 suggests certain areas might be dangerous. The State Department reviews both these levels every 12 months.
Level 3 advises reconsideration of travel due to ‘serious risks to safety and security,’ and Level 4, the highest level, indicates ‘a greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.’
The advisories for Levels 3 and 4 are reviewed every six months by the State Department.
Travellers heading to Level 4 countries are further advised to prepare a will and leave DNA samples as a precaution.
Notable recent changes include Mexico, where advisory levels range from Level 1 to Level 4 across different states, although the overall travel advice remains at Level 2.
North Korea and Burkina Faso are among the countries recently upgraded to the highest warning level.
The agency strongly advises against travel to North Korea due to ‘the continuing serious risk of arrest, long-term detention and the threat of wrongful detention.’
Similarly, Burkina Faso is flagged due to increased ‘terrorism, crime and kidnapping’ threats.
With these updates, there are now 21 countries on the ‘do not travel’ list.
Level 1 includes countries like Canada, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Argentina, and several Caribbean islands such as Aruba and St. Lucia.
Level 2 features popular European destinations like the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, as well as China, South Africa, Morocco, Peru, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Level 3 encompasses Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, and Jamaica.
The 21 countries on the ‘do not travel’ list include places like Russia and Ukraine, due to their ongoing conflict, and also North Korea, Syria, Iraq, and Sudan.
This expansion of the list coincides with global tensions and security concerns, such as Canada’s recent reduction in routes to the US amid trade tensions with the Trump administration.
Additionally, controversial remarks by the US President about possibly acquiring Canada as a ’51st state’ have been made.
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), travel from Canada decreased by 12.5 percent in February and 18 percent in March.