American citizens are now advised to ‘exercise increased caution … due to terrorism.’
The U.S. Department of State has issued new travel advisories for American citizens visiting Italy and Belgium due to the “risk of terrorist violence,” upgrading both countries to a Level 2 warning.
In a bulletin released on the agency’s website on May 23, the U.S. Embassy said that for Italy, “exercise increased caution … due to terrorism” and that the risk could include “terrorist attacks and other activity” in the country.
“Terrorists may attack with little or no warning,” the embassy bulletin said, adding that common targets may include public areas such as transportation centers, shopping malls, markets, tourist areas, local government offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, and other sites.
A similar bulletin was released for Belgium, including much of the same language and places that could become targets for a potential terrorist attack.
If a U.S. citizen visits either Italy or Belgium, the State Department suggests they enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get messages and alerts from the local embassy and to make it easier for the department to accurately and quickly contact them in case of emergency.
The State Department did not explain why both countries were upgraded to “Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution.”
There are four levels of travel advisories: Level 1 – Exercise Normal Precautions, Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution, Level 3 – Reconsider Travel, and Level 4 – Do Not Travel. The highest level is usually reserved for war zones, countries with authoritarian governments, or areas with excessive criminal activity, such as kidnappings.
Other countries in Europe that have Level 2 warnings include France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova. Both Ukraine and Russia are listed as Level 4 due to the three-year-long war.
It comes as some countries in Europe have issued stronger advisories on traveling to the United States in recent months, including the UK and Germany.
