State Department lifts global travel warning

The State Department lifted its international travel advisory on Thursday, roughly four months after warning Americans not to fly abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The big picture: American travelers are still barred from traveling to numerous countries, including European Union member states, because the U.S. has yet to control the spread of the virus.

Despite those restrictions to American travel abroad, U.S. airline stocks reacted favorably to the lift, Bloomberg reports.

• The S&P Supercomposite Airlines Industry Index rose as much as 3%, with the biggest gainers including American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Air and Allegiant.

What they're saying: "With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice ... in order to give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," the agency said in a statement.

• "We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic."

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