Will you evacuate U.S. citizens in a foreign country in the event of a pandemic?

Answer:

Current medical thinking suggests that a “stay in place” response to a pandemic may be appropriate in certain countries or regions. In this scenario, people would be advised to exercise “social distancing” and avoid any form of public gathering where transmission of the disease could occur. Crowding associated with travel is a concern for human-to-human transmission of viral infections due to proximity of travelers. People who are not comfortable with this scenario should consider these factors when making their plans.

Whether the U.S. Government evacuates anyone will depend on a variety of factors specific to individual countries, including supplies of food and water, security, and medical infrastructure. Each U.S. Embassy has been asked to develop a contingency plan in the event of a pandemic, and to identify events that might prompt them to send employees and/or their dependents out of the country, assuming such travel is possible. Should the decision be made to send Embassy employees and/or their dependents out of a country, we will communicate this to the private American community so that people can plan accordingly. As in any other crisis, we will assess the availability of commercial transportation, the ability of people to travel to the United States or a third country, and other related factors in deciding on appropriate actions to assist Americans.

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Last Updated: 03/21/2007