Coronavirus Travel Advisories

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of State have issued travel advisories to inform travelers about health problems related to the Coronavirus Disease that might affect their safety abroad.

CDC Travel Advisories

The CDC’s guidelines range from “Level 1: Practice usual precautions” to “Level 3: Avoid all nonessential travel.”

As of February 27, the CDC has issued travel advisories related to Coronavirus for China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. The CDC’s advisories for China and South Korea are Level 3, indicating that travelers should avoid all nonessential travel, while the advisories for Iran, Italy, and Japan are Level 2 indicating that only older adults and those with chronic medical conditions should consider postponing nonessential travel.

The CDC has also issued Level 1 advisories for Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan, indicating that they do not recommend canceling or postponing travel to these destinations but advise travelers to practice usual precautions.

U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories

The U.S. State Department uses four levels of safety guidelines to let Americans know what to expect from traveling to affected countries, ranging from “Level 1: Exercise normal precautions” to “Level 4: Do not travel.”

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 advisory for China and Iran and a Level 3 Advisory for South Korea. They have also issued Level 2 advisories to Italy, Japan, Hong Kong.

Presidential Proclamation

In addition to the CDC and U.S. Department of State travel advisories, travelers should know that on Friday, January 31 President Trump signed a Proclamation barring entry to the U.S. of most foreign nationals who traveled to China within the past 14 days. The proclamation is in effect as of February 27.