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Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: August 8th, 2020
New York (TADIAS) — The U.S. government is warning its citizens and residents to avoid traveling to Ethiopia at this time due to the coronavirus pandemic and the recent civil unrest in the country.
The State Department issued the Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory, the highest level, this week as it lifted similar restrictions worldwide.
“Do not travel to Ethiopia due to COVID-19,” the department said, encouraging U.S. citizens to “exercise increased caution in Ethiopia due to civil unrest and communication disruptions.”
According to the announcement: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Ethiopia due to COVID-19,” and noting that “travelers to Ethiopia may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within Ethiopia due to COVID-19.”
The travel advisory adds that “incidents of civil unrest and ethnic violence may occur without warning,” and that “the Government of Ethiopia has restricted or shut down internet, cellular data, and phone services during and after civil unrest. These restrictions impede the U.S. Embassy’s ability to communicate with, and provide consular services to, U.S. citizens in Ethiopia. The U.S. Embassy has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens outside of Addis Ababa. As a precaution, U.S. government personnel must request permission for any travel outside of Addis Ababa (personal and official), and are required to carry personnel tracking devices and, in some cases, satellite phones.”
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