(TAN): The United States State Department has issued its highest-level alert yet, warning Americans not to travel abroad at all as the coronavirus continues to spread across the world.
The department issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, and advised Americans currently abroad to return to the United States fast or plan to shelter in place.
“The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period,” the advisory said.
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The advisory indicated at disruptive air and cruise operations to warn Americans that they could be stuck overseas if they do not take the department’s instructions seriously.
“U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel. Many countries are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe,” it added.
The department also urged Americans to “have a travel plan that does not rely on the U.S. Government for assistance”.
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The Level 4 advisory came five days after the government issued a Level 3 warning for global travel, advising citizens to “strongly reconsider” travelling overseas because of the outbreak, reports said.
Meanwhile, while a level 4 travel advisory reportedly applies to individual countries, the latest announcement from the state department applies to all countries. China was updated to a level 4 warning by the department on February 2 at the beginning of the outbreak.
However, the level 4 advisory is a strict recommendation, and not compulsory, as per reports.
The move came after the number of cases reportedly topped 13,000 in the United States and over 242,000 globally.
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