As the world is raging under the crisis of Coronavirus, the US State Department on Thursday issued an advisory requesting the Americans not to travel overseas, to return to the country if they can or to otherwise shelter in place.
According to media reports, the level 4 advisory for all international travel is the most severe warning issued by the department.
Meanwhile, several U.S. citizens are already stuck abroad and no wonder such advisory increases the chances of further anxiety and confusion among travelers.
The lawmakers of the country and other have raised questions about the State Department's ability to aid American overseas, but in the new guidance, the department makes clear U.S. citizens shouldn't count on it to help.
Till now, there are more than 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The World Health Organization on Thursday said that there are more than 191,000 confirmed cases across more than 150 countries; an unofficial tally by researchers at Johns Hopkins University pegs that number still higher.
A State Department official based overseas expressed concern about the pending advisory, saying he worried it would cause panic among Americans. The official pointed out the difficulties of finding flights under the current conditions.
Likely thousands of Americans remain stranded abroad, caught between travel bans and massive airline flight cancellations.
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