

On Feb. 29, the U.S. State Department announced an upgrade in its Italy Travel Advisory due to the ongoing spread of coronavirus.

The State Department’s advisory for the country is now at Level 3: Reconsider Travel for the whole of Italy and Level 4: Do Not Travel for the Lombardy and Veneto regions “due to the level of community transmission of the virus and imposition of local quarantine procedures.”

The State Department said in its warning that it is following the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“At this time, CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Italy. Travelers should review and follow the Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines for the prevention of coronavirus if they decide to travel to Italy.

According to Worldometer as of Feb. 29, there are currently 1,128 cases in Italy, the third most of any country behind China (79,257 total cases) and South Korea (3,150 total cases).