US 'revamps' travel advisory classification program

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (KUNA) -- The US has changed how it classifies international travel advisories for its citizens with the creation of a one to four level ranking system, the State Department announced Wednesday.
Each country was given a ranking beginning with level one which instructs citizens to "exercise normal caution", two suggests "increased caution", three asks Americans to "reconsider travel", and level four means "do not travel," Managing Director of Overseas Citizens services Michelle Bernier-Toth told reporters in a conference call.
The change was made due to confusion cited from the previous travel alert and a travel warning system.
As recommended with the previous classification system, the level four "do not travel" countries include North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Mali. (end) ak.msa