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
