WASHIGNTON: The United States on Thursday (Aug 6) lifted a warning to its citizens to avoid all foreign travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to improvements.
The State Department said it would instead resume considering each country on a case-by-case
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"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system," it said in a statement.
"We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic."
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump seeks a quick return to normal in the United States, which has suffered by far the highest number of deaths from COVID-19.
But US borders remain closed to most travelers from the European Union, which also bans most Americans due to the risk of contagion.
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Under the new ratings, the United States is still advising precautions for most countries.
Among the few recipients of the Level 1 ranking - which means no special concerns for travel - were Taiwan, which has won wide acclaim for its handling of the pandemic, and Australia.
The United States gave a Level 3 status - which means to reconsider travel - to many allies including Britain, France and Germany. Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Armenia, the Philippines and Laos were also given the Level 3 rating.
It kept the Level 4 warning to avoid all travel for India, which has seen growing cases of COVID-19.
Other Level 4 countries include Russia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Egypt, Haiti, Iran and Libya.
The State Department first issued the Global Level 4 "Do Not Travel" Health Advisory on Mar 19.
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