Consulate defends issuance of Level 4 travel advisory

The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau said that the change in the State Department’s Travel Advisory level to “Level 4:  Do Not Travel” does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation related to Covid-19 in Macau.
Rather, it advises U.S. citizens not to travel to Macau because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cannot independently verify the status of the pandemic in the city.
In a recent travel warning list issued by the U.S. government, Macau has been ranked “Level 4 – do not travel” alongside at least 149 other jurisdictions, while previously, the SAR was ranked “Level 1 – exercise normal precaution.” The drop in rank has placed it below Hong Kong, now ranked “Level 3 – reconsider travel,” which has new cases every day.
In a response to the Times, the U.S. Consulate General spokesperson clarified that a Level 4 Travel Advisory is not unique to Macau.
“The Department of State has updated its Travel Advisory framework, which has resulted in a significant increase in the number of countries at Travel Advisory Level 4:  Do Not Travel. […] Following this update, approximately 80 percent of countries worldwide will have a Travel Advisory Level of 4,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also noted that the SAR’s borders are closed to all non-Macau residents arriving by air from any location other than mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Due to these stringent border control measures, U.S. consular personnel are currently unable to travel to Macau to assist U.S. citizens in need of support.
“We routinely review safety and security conditions in destinations across the world, and will update destination-specific information when it is appropriate,” the spokesperson said.
It has been 394 days since Macau recorded a locally imported case. Non-residents and tourists have been banned from entering Macau since March 18, 2020.