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State Department lifts advisory against international travel

The gates at Terminal 4 of JFK International Airport are mostly empty of travelers and only a few shops are open for business in New York City on Tuesday.  Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
The gates at Terminal 4 of JFK International Airport are mostly empty of travelers and only a few shops are open for business in New York City on Tuesday.  Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department on Thursday lifted its global advisory urging all U.S. citizens to avoid international travel, though some countries still ban Americans from coming in.

The department, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued its Global Level 4 Health Advisory on March 18 as cases of COVID-19 began spreading across the globe. With conditions improving in some countries, the U.S. government said it will begin issuing travel advice for individual countries depending on local conditions.

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"Keeping the American public informed of health and safety conditions around the world is key to our broader mission of ensuring the safety and security of U.S. citizens," the State Department said in its announcement.

"The Department's COVID-19 travel advisories are informed by CDC's expert judgment of the health situation, as well as other factors related to travel, infrastructure, healthcare resources and potential closures and restrictions in the country, which are important for U.S. citizens to consider."

The State Department warned American travelers to use caution when traveling abroad due to the "unpredictable nature of the pandemic."

Among the countries given a Level 1 advisory, encouraging Americans to exercise "normal precautions," are Macau and Taiwan. Level 2 advisories (exercise increased caution) include New Zealand, Thailand and Fiji; Level 3 (reconsider travel) includes Australia, Belgium and Britain; and Level 4 (do not travel) includes Russia, Mexico and India.

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Though U.S. officials are loosening their advice on Americans traveling abroad, some countries have firm bans in place due to spikes in the novel coronavirus in the United States. The European Union has banned all Americans from traveling and there and some places, such as Britain, require 14-day quarantine periods.

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