Kyle HulmeLast Updated
As the battle against the pandemic continues to be fought around the world, the US has issued new travel advisories for a handful of countries.
Thailand, the UK, Indonesia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Rwanda, Panama, Grenada, Belize and Equatorial Guinea are the latest countries to have their travel advisories updated by the US Department of State, reflecting the current Covid-19 situation in each of the countries. Here a more in-depth look at the travel advisories for these countries, and a look at the Covid-19 situation in each of them.
The UK’s Travel Advisory– What Travelers Should Know
The UK has seen its travel advisory updated as a result of the surge of cases of Covid-19 in the country. It has been a tough period for the UK, which has seen cases numbers exceeding 40,000 for each of the last seven days, peaking at 68,053 on January 8th – the UK’s largest number of cases reported in a day so far.
As a result of the escalation, the UK has been placed under a strict lockdown as the government struggles to bring the spread under control. The reason behind the explosion in cases has largely been attributed to the more-transmissible strain of the virus, first detected in the UK, which is 70% more contagious than the original variant.
As a result, the US has asked travelers to reconsider travel to the country, whilst the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given the country a Level 4 Travel Health Notice, branding it with having very high levels of the virus and recommending that travelers should avoid all travel to the country.
Indonesia’s Level 4 – What Does It Mean?
In the latest round of updates, Indonesia has been given a Level 4 travel advisory – the highest warning level rating possible. Level 4 means that travelers should not travel to Indonesia in any circumstance. The decision to given Indonesia a Level 4 rating has been made for two key reasons.
The primary reason that Indonesia has been handed a Level 4 advisory is because of the Covid-19 situation in the country. The number of cases has been increasing steadily since the dawn of the pandemic and has recently seen the country break the 10,000 daily cases milestone, surpassing the figure three times in the last week. The second reason that is highlighted as a factor in the travel rating decision is the civil unrest in the Central Sulawesi and Papua regions, with the website warning about the threat of terrorism or natural disasters in these places.
Updated Level 2 and 3 Warnings
Both Equatorial Guinea and Thailand have Level 2 warnings, and have been updated with new information about Covid-19 in the countries. Equatorial Guinea has been deemed by the CDC to have level 2 risk of Covid-19, which means moderate, whilst Thailand is level 1 (low) but some areas carry an increased risk.
Five countries that have Level 3 advisories have been updated with new information about Covid-19. Turks and Caicos Islands have been issued with a level 3 Travel Health Notice by the CDC, as have Panama, Granada and Belize, which means they have been designated as having high levels of Covid-19. Whilst Rwanda has only been given a level 2 warning by the CDC, it still maintains an overall Level 3 travel advisory on behalf of the Department of State. Travelers have been warned to exercise extreme caution at the borders with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo borders due to armed conflict.
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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories