U.S. lifts worldwide travel advisory

FILE PHOTO: A member of a ground crew walks past American Airlines planes parked at the gate during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2020. /Reuters

The U.S. State Department on Thursday lifted its global level 4 travel advisory, over four months after it advised its citizens against unnecessary foreign travel.

The travel advisory was issued on 19 March as COVID-19 spread around the world.

The State Department will now return to issuing individual advisories targeting specific countries since health conditions are "improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others."

"This will also provide U.S. citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country," CNN quotes the statement. "We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.”