State Department: US citizens not to travel to Montenegro

The State Department has issued new recommendations to Americans for international travel, within which citizens of the United States of America (USA) are advised not to travel to Montenegro, which has been issued the highest, fourth level warning due to COVID-19.

The State Department's website states that travelers to Montenegro may face border and airport closures, travel bans, stay-at-home orders, business closures and other emergency conditions due to COVID-19.

The State Department said it regularly evaluates and changes international travel recommendations, based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and current conditions in the country, Voice of America reports.

The CDC states on its website that travelers should avoid all travel to Montenegro, given that this could increase the chance of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

Travelers who must travel to Montenegro are advised to be tested one to three days before travel and not to travel if they are awaiting results, if they have tested positive or if they are ill.

It is stated that during the trip you should wear a mask, keep a distance of at least two meters from people who are not in the same group, wash your hands often or use a disinfectant.

The CDC also recommends that before returning to the US, travelers be tested one to three days before the trip, and that after arrival they take steps to prevent the spread of the disease, including wearing masks outside the home and keeping a physical distance from people who are not members of their household.

"If you haven't been tested, it's safest to stay home for 14 days," the CDC advises.

The CDC has issued the same recommendations for more than 160 countries around the world that it says are at very high risk due to COVID-19.

Travel advisories issued by the State Department are divided into four tiers - the first is countries where Americans are advised to take the usual precautions, and the fourth is countries where travel is not recommended.

A level four warning was issued for Kosovo in December last year due to COVID-19, while Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia are at level three where Americans are advised to reconsider travel to those countries.

On its website, the State Department recommends that Americans avoid all international travel due to the global consequences of the pandemic.