US revises travel advisory list; India still on ‘Do Not Travel’ category

The United States of America has updated its ‘do not travel’ advisory list. While it still kept India under this category due to surging COVID-19 cases in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were taken off the list.

In August, the United States removed pandemic-related global travel advisory for its citizens; however, it then focussed on a country-specific system, by working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Initially, there were many countries in the category of Level 4, i.e., Do Not Travel.
Reportedly, Bangladesh and Pakistan were recently removed from this category, along with six other countries such as Kuwait, Benin, Mexico, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These countries have now been moved to the category of less prohibitive, i.e., Level 3: Reconsider Travel.

Referring to this, the US State Department issued a statement stating that they will continue to monitor health and safety conditions around the world, and will be working with the CDC and other agencies as conditions evolve. Although the department’s travel advisory page states “Do not travel to India due to Covid-19,” it also mentioned “exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism.”
As regarding the advice issued by the CDC, it has stated that COVID-19 risk in India is high, and if Americans get sick in India, medical care and resources might be limited.

Although India was placed in the Level 4 category on August 6 due to surge in COVID cases, it will still continue to be in the Do Not Travel category.