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MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department dropped its global “Level 4” health warning urging people not to travel abroad Thursday, but promptly re-imposed that same advisory level on Mexico.
Since March 19, the department had advised U.S. citizens to avoid all travel abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday, the department announced it was returning to country-specific advisories.
It issued a Level 4 “do not travel” warning for all of Mexico, citing COVID-19. Mexico pushed passed 50,000 deaths Thursday and has reported 462,690 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, far less than the United States.
Mexico had long enjoyed a “Level 2” advisory urging travelers to exercise caution, though some particularly violent states had “do not travel” advisories because of crime, gang shootouts and the risk of kidnapping.
In its advisory Thursday, the State Department said, “Travelers to Mexico may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within Mexico due to COVID-19.”
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