The CDC Risk Assessment Map, USA. Department of State, is now at Level 3.Today, the CDC revised its coronavirus map. The United States has officially risen to Level 3, the highest level of risk, which means “continuous and widespread transmission with no restrictions on entry into the United States”. OK, but what about domestic travel? The United States is now the global epicenter of COVID-19, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases and increasing rapidly, according to the Johns Hopkins Resource Center.
The United States has already surpassed Italy and China in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. A week ago, the State Department began advising that Americans avoid all international travel and told citizens abroad to return immediately to the United States. Indeed, the government has banned international travel, but has not yet extended the policy to domestic travel. So far, in the United States, New York City accounts for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases, but new hotspots are emerging in Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans. Meanwhile, even as the Trump administration refuses to issue a nationwide travel ban, some governors are stepping up their own restrictions for travelers arriving in their states.
The governors of Hawaii, South Carolina and Massachusetts have ordered that all people coming from out of state must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. The governors of Texas and Florida have issued similar orders, but only for those arriving from highly affected areas, such as New York City or New Orleans. Many countries are at a level 4 according to the CDC and the State Department, including destinations that are popular with American travelers. Given the state of the pandemic in the United States, where community transmission is high in most counties, travelers might wonder if traveling abroad is actually a greater risk.
Travel advisories from the State Department and CDC are accurate and up to date, Abinash Virk, an infectious disease specialist and former director of the travel clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said in an email. Some of the factors that are considered include countries that have been issued a Level 2 (be more careful) or Level 3 (reconsider travel) or regions to which a Level 4 (no travel advisory travel by a U.S. citizen) has been issued. If you are a U.S.
citizen, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa), you must show that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before flying to the United States from a foreign country. The Department of State publishes a list of travel advisories for everything related to potential safety abroad, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes its own list of travel-specific health advisories for health-related concerns, such as disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Level 1 means that travelers should take normal precautions, which graduates to exercise greater caution for Level 2 and reconsider travel for Level 3.The agency has given more than 130 destinations a “Level 4” warning, which means that covid-19 is very high and people should avoid traveling. Because Department of State travel advisories are based in part on CDC assessments, they could place a destination at the same level, also on a scale of 1 to 4.For destinations marked as Level 4 or unknown, agency says Americans should avoid traveling there altogether.
As the COVID-19 situation changes around the world, CDC is monitoring the risk of COVID-19 in destinations around the world and making travel recommendations. The ITPC approval process evaluates the academic value of travel balanced with the current health, safety and security conditions of the intended destination. Travel may be limited in-country; certain forms of travel and scheduling may be restricted; some locations may require a higher level of support, accommodation, transportation and logistics in the country for the safety of students, faculty, and staff. .
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