The Department of State (DOS) announced on April 19, 2021, that it would elevate the travel advisory levels for a large swath of the world.  In the DOS FAQ, it states: “After this update, approximately 80% of countries will have a Travel Advisory Level of 4: Do Not Travel. This does not necessarily indicate a change to the current health situation in a given country.  It reflects an adjustment in our system to give more weight to CDC's existing assessments.”  A DOS Level 4: Do Not Travel has always been considered a very serious rating; however, the risk itself has not changed, just the way that the DOS rates the risks, weighing COVID risks much more heavily as opposed to civil unrest, terrorism, crime, poor security services, kidnapping, or geopolitical risks.
 
Notes on the Level Changes:
By their own admission, DOS said that these changes did not reflect a reassessment of the risks of any particular location, merely an alignment with the CDC.  This makes the advisories less useful, as they are now redundant with CDC guidance. 

The newly calculated advisory levels lack nuance.

• Traveling to Germany is not equally risky as traveling to Yemen or North Korea. After the updated methodology, so many countries have been assigned Travel Advisory Level 4 that the designation becomes essentially meaningless, overlooking vast differences in risk profiles between countries.
• UM therefore reminds current and future participants that the sudden change in DOS advisory levels in many of our destination countries does not necessarily constitute a material change in risk to student health and safety.  

DOS makes clear this shift is not due to changing conditions on the ground but rather an alignment with the CDC advisory levels. 

DOS makes clear that these advisories should not be used as a single decision-making tool and should not be a trigger for starting up or closing down programs. 

In addition to the CDC criteria of incidence rates and case trajectory, the DOS takes into consideration travel prohibitions, such as the availability of commercial transportation, entry restrictions for US citizens, and availability of COVID testing 72 hours prior to departure, and those prohibitions factor into the calculation of DOS advisory levels using the new methodology.  Travel prohibitions alone are not a health or safety risk.

• Prior to the pandemic, entry and exit requirements varied across all countries. The addition of requirements to enter a country due to the pandemic or the prohibition of travel should not be a factor in raising “risk” level because travel prohibitions in themselves are not a direct threat to student safety.  
• UM works closely with partners on-site and will only be operational where we can confidently accept participants to begin their studies with reasonable entry conditions (e.g. a COVID-19 test prior and possibly upon arrival, a reasonable quarantine upon arrival, proof of a yellow fever vaccine, an approved student visa, proof of a COVID-19 vaccine, etc.) 

Lastly, DOS guidance and advice is geared toward the average American traveler, not toward a student studying abroad, who has a completely different risk and support profile.  Our students are supported before travel by a team of experienced advisors then supported immediately upon arrival and throughout the program by an experienced local staff who are ready to respond immediately to any participant emergencies or needs in partnership and communication with UM.

Advisories
FAQ 

We believe the best approach to assessing and managing risk in the current environment is a holistic one.  UM Study Abroad will not use DOS Level 4 as a sole tripwire for deciding whether to approve, run, or continue to run a program. Instead, we will continue to be informed by an analysis of all relevant data and information and will utilize that overall analysis to make decisions.
 
Based on a holistic approach, partner guidance, and data gathered from a variety of sources, we will proceed with summer 2021 study abroad programs as planned prior to the increase in advisory levels.  If there is a significant increase in risk in a particular location, we will reevaluate and make changes if necessary, just like we would pre-pandemic.