Following the Sri Lanka suicide bomb attacks, the U.S. Department of State issued a Level 2 travel advisory.
Last night, the travel advisory was increased to a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” warning.
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The new travel warning indicates that terrorist groups continue to plot attacks in Sri Lanka, which prompted the government to increase the warning on Friday.
Surprising enough, the warning came less than a day before a shootout between Sri Lankan police and suspected terrorists this morning which has left ten civilians (among whom were six children) and six suspected terrorists dead.
Yesterday, the Department of State ordered all school-age family members (K-12th grade) of U.S. government employees in Sri Lanka to depart the country. They also authorized a voluntary departure for non-emergency U.S. employees and their families.
Sri Lanka now joins other Level 3 countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey and Nicaragua. Level 4 is the highest travel advisory warning.
While the Department of State can’t prevent anyone from traveling to Sri Lanka, they encourage them to be aware of their surroundings, monitor local media and have a contingency emergency plan, as the U.S. has limited capability to provide emergency services.