US Embassy urges nationals to reconsider travel to the Philippines

The United States Embassy in the Philippines on Saturday urged their citizens to reconsider travel to the country due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a travel advisory, the embassy said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a level 3 Travel Health Notice for the country.

The Philippines has reported a total of 126,885 COVID-19 cases with 67,117 recoveries and 2,209 fatalities.

On Thursday, the country overtook Indonesia as the hotspot of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.

The US Embassy also urged increased caution in traveling to the Philippines due to “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, a measles outbreak, and kidnapping."

It advised tourists to refrain from visiting the Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping” as well as Marawi City due to “terrorism and civil unrest.”

Meanwhile, tourists going to other areas in Mindanao were advised to reconsider due to “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping." — DVM, GMA News