LOS ANGELES (KNX Newsradio) — Just as many Americans were starting to feel as if the pandemic may be coming to an end, the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisories on Monday to align with recommendations from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including a change that will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at "Level 4: Do Not Travel to approximately 80% of countries worldwide."
"This does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country, but rather reflects an adjustment in the State Department's Travel Advisory system to rely more on CDC's existing epidemiological assessments," the department said in a statement sent to CNN.
The updated advisory comes as deaths from COVID-19 worldwide have reached more than 3 million.
"As the COVID-19 situation around the world changes, CDC is monitoring COVID-19 risk in destinations around the world and making travel recommendations," the CDC travel site reads.
As of Monday, there are more than 100 countries listed on the "Level 4: Do Not Travel" alert, many that have been on that level since early April — which can be due to COVID-19 along with issues of crime and civil unrest.
Countries are ranked as such:
• Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
• Level 2: Exercise increased caution
• Level 3: Reconsider travel
• Level 4: Do not travel
The CDC additionally notes that "international travel poses additional risks and even fully vaccinated travelers are at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading new COVID-19 variants … and recommends delaying international travel until you are fully vaccinated."
