The alert level for U.S. travelers to Colombia dropped, but with several recommendations

Many Latinos still follow the idea of the American dream, in parallel, with the idea of knowing much more about the world, American citizens think about traveling to Latin America, among all countries Colombia stands out, but the conditions of violence in the country force this American population to avoid visiting the coffee territory, not However, since the government of the United States, the levels of alarm to arrive in Colombia have decreased.

In this case, the risk of traveling to Colombia fell to level 3 in the category of alerts handled by the United States, since at the end of 2021 and the beginning of this year, from that country they recommended not to travel to this nation, because of the security risks that could compromise the humanity of visitors. Although level 3 leaves the visit to free will, the danger continues as stated in the report.

From the US Department of State, different Alerts are issued so that citizens of that country are aware of the risks when traveling. Alerts are configured as follows:

4 Do not travel

3 Reconsider the Journey

2 Increase your precautions

1 I took normal precautions

On this occasion, the US government invites its citizens to reconsider traveling to Colombian territory, due to crime, terrorism and cases of covid-19, highlighting the presence of civil unrest and foreign abductions. Similarly, three high-risk departments highlight Arauca, Cauca (with the exception of Popayán) and pointing to Norte de Santander for high levels of crime and terrorism, noting that government personnel in that country cannot be mobilized freely in Colombia for security reasons.

The report highlights several points of prevention for citizens who wish to access Colombia, which explains the main criminal risks and dynamics that are handled, among which are:

Terrorism: They urge the population to be careful in shopping centers, markets, public transportation systems, worship centers, schools, parks, hotels, entertainment venues and mass public events, stressing that criminals predominate the use of knives, firearms, explosive vehicles and armed group raids outside the law as ELN and FARC dissidents.

Demonstrations: They clarify that these events can occur on holidays or politically significant for the country, noting that the main motivations are economic and governmental circumstances. In the same way, they say that at first demonstrations may have a peaceful tint, but in their development violent confrontations can be generated.

Crimes: With regard to this item, the activities of fraud against tourists and armed robbery are highlighted, most of which can turn violent. Among the main criminal methods highlighted in the report are robbery by motorcyclists, who steal victims' phones, valuables and bags.

Taxis and drugs: The report states that all United States government personnel visiting Colombia are prohibited from taking taxis on the street, as they point out that there is a high risk of theft or assault inside them, arguing that several Americans have been killed and assaulted while using this service, so Therefore, it is recommended to order the vehicles through applications or dispatch services. With regard to drugs, citizens are invited to be aware of any anomalies and take care of their food and drinks, as they may be poisoned with substances that make them more vulnerable to crime.

Finally, the recommendation is made to purchase medical insurance for evacuation in the event of any type of accident, highlighting the precarious conditions that some tourism services have in the country, where there is no adequate signage and high - level medical care services are in the main cities, emphasizing that, in the case of relief services, communication is often limited due to the lack of fluent English.

KEEP READING: