"Level 4": America considers extraordinary decision to face Corona

 

President Donald Trump's administration is considering upgrading its already existing warning to Americans against international travel to become complete, with a widespread outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

U.S. officials said Thursday that the State Department may soon issue a new warning urging Americans not to travel abroad, under any circumstances.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no final decision has been made and the warning can be eased, even if approved, the Associated Press reported.

Currently, the Department advises U.S. citizens to "reconsider" all international flights under what is known as a "Level 3" alert.

Issuing a global "Level 4" global warning would be unprecedented, because such warnings are generally limited to specific countries experiencing conflicts or natural disasters, or where Americans face specific risks.

However, even if the upgrade from "Level 3" to "Level 4", this will not have a significant practical effect because it is not mandatory, and there are now limited transfer options for international travel.

The only way to prevent Americans from traveling abroad is to revoke the use of U.S. passports for such travel, a requirement that currently exists only for North Korea.

In addition, the main effect of the State Department's travel warnings is to get insurance companies to increase insurance premiums or cancel travel policies for group and individual trips, many of which were canceled even before the warning was raised to level three earlier this week.