State Dept Travel Advisory - Level 4

Do-Not-Visit Bolivia Says the State Department

Published

November 13, 2019

Bolivia Level 4 Travel Advisory issued by the US Department of State

South America (Precision Vaccinations News)

The U.S. Department of State issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory related to civil unrest in the Plurinational State of Bolivia.

On November 12, 2019, the State Department’s ‘Do Not Travel’ alert also ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government employees due to ongoing political instability in Bolivia.

This new advisory supersedes the Level 3 notice issued on November 2nd.

The U.S. Embassy in Bolivia issued a notice on November 11th, saying ‘ensure you have evacuation plans to leave the country that do not require U.S. government assistance.

And, contact your airline as domestic and international flights may be delayed or canceled, particularly at El Alto airport in La Paz.

The U.S. Embassy La Paz is located at Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz, Bolivia, +(591) (2) 216-8000.

Furthermore, because of the political changes, the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Bolivia as road travel around and between cities is regularly impeded.

Bolivia has a population of about 11 million residents and is located in central South America, with a varied terrain spanning the Andes Mountains, the Atacama Desert, and the Amazon Basin rainforest.

During 2016, Bolivia welcomed a total of 959,000 tourists, an increase from 882,000 arrivals a year earlier.

Separately, the Australian, Canadian, and the United Kingdom have issued similar high-level travel advisories for Bolivia. These advisories indicate ‘recurring demonstrations, strikes, roadblocks, and marches in Bolivia’s major cities.

Furthermore, if you need urgent consular assistance from the British Embassy La Paz contact (591 2) 2433424. The British Embassy’s ability to travel to deliver consular services is very limited at this time.

From a health perspective, UK health authorities have classified Bolivia as having a risk of Zika virus transmission. This means pregnant women are discouraged from visiting Bolivia.