A snarky post on Medium this week has been making the rounds claiming that US Passports are now “worthless” but those claims are overblown.
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The Post
Writer Indi Samarajiva created a twin pair of maps, one outlining where Americans could go visa-free prior to COVID-19, the second following travel restrictions imposed on US passport holders. The images are stark and provide a grim list for US passport holders that traditionally have been able to enter many countries without a visa for tourist purposes.
The bombastic writer holds nothing back in the accompanying article, calling the US the “Plague States of America” stating that the “lack of humane leadership” has led to the US passport to now be considered “worthless.” I wonder if any of those countries, “Today, Americans are only allowed in a few Caribbean islands and the Balkans” feel at all denigrated by his characterizations.
“Americans have gone from world power to getting the side-eye from Ecuador in a matter of months. Right now Americans are only really welcome on remote islands or at corralled resorts in Mexico, where they can be isolated from everyone else.”
The writer focuses on President Trump’s lack of leadership but does not specifically call into account state leaders such as Governor Cuomo who (despite some inconsistencies in policy) has managed to get one of the most populous states in the US through the crisis. Congress and the Senate acted to pass legislation for bailouts but the 435 congresspeople and 100 senators that could have enacted further mandates at a federal level but didn’t are spared.
Restrictions Are Temporary
Samarajiva is clear about where Americans can go currently, stating that his own Sri Lankan passport is also worthless. Here is a list he included in the post of visa-free countries US passport holders can visit visa-free (asterisks indicate countries that welcome US visitors with a mandatory 14-day waiting period):
ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN GO 1. Albania | 15. Lebanon 2. Antigua and Barbuda | 16. Maldives 3. Aruba | 17. Mexico 4. The Bahamas | 18. North Macedonia 5. Barbados | 19. St. Lucia 6. Belize | 20. St. Maarten 7. Bermuda | 21. St. Vincent & 8. Croatia | 22. Serbia 9. Dominican Republic | 23. Tanzania 10. Ecuador* | 24. Turkey 11. French Polynesia | 25. Turks & 12. Ireland* | 26. Ukraine 13. Jamaica | 27. UAE* 14. Kosovo | 28. UK* 29. South Korea*
What doesn’t make the writer’s post is that the restrictions are temporary. It’s highly unlikely that the 185 countries that officially offer visa-free travel to US passport holders will maintain these restrictions for a long period of time. Rather, some have already eased limitations and as the US works through the recent outbreak, more will open to Americans again.
Many of these countries aren’t truly open yet anyhow as evidenced in this reader’s ill-advised trip. Their exclusion of Americans coincides with other countries that are also excluded and their own citizenry is restricted as well.
Unlike the writer’s aforementioned “worthless” Sri Lankan passport (certainly, some have to object to this) these effects on US travellers will be temporary. While Samarajiva seems to relish the fact that US citizens find themselves in this situation, the “worthlessness” of the US passport (I find many of those destinations very worthwhile) will last a matter of months at most.
Claims Are Overblown
Samarajiva takes liberties (which he can do, it’s his piece and it’s not news) but some of it is contrary to other works cited in the same piece.
One claim that seems unsubstantiated (the writer previously referenced a report that 200,000 would be dead by election day) is this suggestion:
“America will be lucky to exit this pandemic with less than a million dead and 100 million infected. The living will be lucky to exit their country within the next five years.”
I’m not quite sure how the writer gets from 200,000 to 1,000,000 especially since leadership will be changed (according to the writer) in January following the 2020 presidential election in November.
Another claim that seems to be hyperbole but doesn’t include any citations:
“At the same time, you can’t trust Americans. Americans have poor hygiene (low masking rate) and at least 40% of the population can’t be trusted to even believe that COVID-19 exists, let alone to take it seriously. They’re likely to refuse testing, not report symptoms, break quarantine, and generally NOT follow rules. Americans have a toxic combination of ignorance and arrogance that makes them unwelcome travelers.”
The reality of the situation is that Americans are excluded from many parts of the world today (as are other countries) and borders are generally closed. But to suggest that Americans won’t gain back their rights to visit the rest of the world for five years unless they are lucky probably feels good to type, but is a clear marker that this person is detached from reality. He also includes his own prejudice and assumptions in the work but doesn’t cite any actual facts to support the hygiene claims.
Even if the country hits his first estimate of 200,000 dead by November, and then in three months quintuples that amount to leave one million dead from Coronavirus, many countries won’t be able to exclude American businesses and tourists from their economies, certainly not for five years. That’s not realistic even if coronavirus is never beaten in the US.
Conclusion
This post has been making its way through media sources, social media feeds and is having its moment in the sun. While it is absolutely true that travel is restricted for Americans currently, the suggestion that these restrictions will remain longer than a few months is both unlikely and unsubstantiated. Further, I’d wager that there’s plenty of citizens from many countries around the world that would happily trade their own for a US passport when given the chance. They’d be a little more comfortable with the long approach than this blowhard.
What do you think? Is the US passport now worthless as the writer suggests? How long do you think restrictions will actually last?
Right now it is yes. No one wants Americans now.
Samarajiva obviously wrote a hate piece out of touch with reality. The U.S. has travel restrictions for a month longer than other countries. Big deal. International travel during a global pandemic really shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. Travel is not going to be the same for anyone until the pandemic is over or we learn to live with it like the yearly flu.
Does Samarajiva describe the leadership of Belgium which has 3x the deaths per capita as the U.S. the same way? What about Spain, led by a socialist PM, which has 2x the deaths per capita as the United States? What about Italy and France? New Jersey and New York have 1750 and 1690 deaths per million, while Florida has 185 deaths per million. Cuomo?
Your comparing the first wave of the pandemic in the lead states to the current situation is ill-informed and quite misleading
(BTW your world is going to be quite turned upside down come November 4th…lol…maybe QAnon will come to the rescue?)
If you were Europeans or Asians whose governments and people manage to control the spread of the virus much better than us, would you let out of control Americans who maybe spreaders of the virus into your countries?
In fairness, just because their total death and infection number may be lower, by population it’s not necessarily true. Belgium, for example, has had a much worse outcome than the US as just one example. The US population is officially around 320 million, unofficially closer to 340-350 million. Spain and Italy fared worse statistically even to this day.
Spain and Italy also got their first wave rapidly and when little was known about the virus. The US is a lot more spread out population-wise, we have a more youthful population, and given our population distribution, our medical system had a greater ability to handle this pandemic. Also curves varied by states and all so all these factors acted in our favor.
The US now knows a lot about the virus and yet many Americans are being reckless by choosing to crowd in bars and refusing to wear masks.
So sure Spain and Italy fared worse in the beginning, they kept their curve down which is very important.
You may want to check how Belgium count covid-related deaths.
Overall the problem is that most numbers are not comparable. Infections depend on amount of testing, deaths depend on how they are accounted and in many countries most of covid deaths were counted outside of hospitals.
Some figures make more sense, e.g. how well the healthcare is coping or how big percentage of tests are positive.
Because Belgium has not undercounted the same as every other country has. They have perhaps overcounted:
https://www.politico.eu/article/why-is-belgiums-death-toll-so-high/
So you may want to think twice about using that data point to defend US figures
You mean hate piece like the [redacted by admin] in charge for 4 years?
How did Cuomo “get New York through it”? What would have been the situation if nothing were done? How would it be any different if he weren’t there?
Obviously a Trumper if you can’t even acknowledge the better place NY is in now, despite the many Cuomo mistakes.
Are we really comparing Trump vs Cuomo?
Where’s your post praising Desantis? Abbott? Ducey?
Cuomo is still an idiot! Typical controlling big government Democrat. I’m no “Trumper” but I can’t stand the Democrats who crave power and government control. Government should be small, the Constitution followed to a T with the government out of my wallet, out of my house, and out of religion. Democrats and Republicans both suck but right now Democrats are worse.
Yeah that works great when the so called leader in chief doesn’t have to deal with any issues and can ride the coattails of the previous one’s economy…much less so when there is a global pandemic and true national leadership is called for.
It’s also why we’ll have a new POTUS in 4 months.
DeSantis leads a state with 198 deaths per million, while Cuomo leads a state with 1,666 deaths per million. Until that changes, DeSantis is going to have vast praise compared to cuomo who abandoned nursing homes. DeSantis did targeted lockdowns of high risk groups and allowed much more freedom for low risk groups. Florida is overall in much better shape than New York. I don’t see that changing given the death rates are stable. Coronavirus will be known for the failure of northeast liberal governments to protect their citizens. New Jersey has 1750 deaths per million. Connecticut has 1250. Rhode Island has 900.
Florida just set the “record” for single day cases. Deaths have hit highs three days in a row. And this is with a four month “head start” on preparation compared to NYC being in the first wave.
Can’t think of too many people who think Florida is better shape that NY right now, unless you think exponential growth in FL is better than a virus that has died out in NY. Cuomo’s approval rating is also ~20 points higher right now than DeSantis.
Your Trumpian arguments are pretty sad.
The US passport is worthless. Just ask those of us trapped here in the states for months.
Add that to the fact that many nation’s just don’t receive americans with the same welcome they use to and yes or passport has deteriorated.
Fyi I’m on my second passport in two years do yes I know what I’m talking about, do you?
Great job showing ignorance and perpetuating the status.
Are you that really bothered by the truth? I don’t see the problem with the article, he is spot on with telling the situation like it is. I think many in the US would agree with him. Right now who wants Americans? I’m in the US and I can’t blame EU and other countries for rejecting US folks. It’s true that folks in the US don’t care about wearing masks, follow quarantine, and selfish with claiming constitution rights…etc. It’s absolutely ridiculous here. That is why the situation in the US is out of control. You don’t see that in other parts of the world, for example in Asian countries. People there take it seriously and are more obedient and willing to wear masks. That is why it is the virus situation is much more controlled there. Looks at Taiwan, dense country but yet look at the infection and death rate.
It is the commentary that goes way beyond facts and figures that is the problem. The commentary is inflammatory and from what I have seen, this pandemic has been weaponized by several people, Ms. Lee from the Washington Post also among them, in order to publish hit jobs on the US and everything it stands for. I have seen everything from capitalism, to the whole country’s ethos being blamed for this. I never thought once to attack Spain or Italy or anyone when they were struggling.
The US is always hated. Some just show their stripes more when there is an opportunity to do so. As a child of immigrants, it always bothered me how nasty and bigoted people are towards the US. It is like people who hate a team that wins all the time. And yes, we have ,many faults. I am generally a-political and loved guys like Simpson bowles / bi partisan solutions. And I cannot stand how politicized this country has become. Can you imagine if McCain could have gotten past the Christian conservatives in 2000? We’d still have a surplus and no Vietnam 2.0. We are rotting from the inside out with populism on the left and right. Moderates never get passed primaries anymore.
Anyway, this has been mishandled in some states. The leadership here has been poor domestically and abroad for 4 years. We got what we paid for. However, bigotry and hatred is just that; its evident in the piece being addressed here. My parents left Greece for a reason. If people hate this country they should go to a country that suits them. They won’t though. They are too lazy and this country has given them way too much.
In regards to travel, I promise you, if we had better relations with the EU at the moment and were not fighting over trade, and global tech tax issues, if Trump knew how to be a statesman – If there was some diplomacy or any understanding of international alliances and that our strength is built on global partnerships – then this ban probably would not be on, even with high cases here.
I only hope that this nonsense stops soon. But the reality is the US will not move first. The EU will have to let some travel restrictions down first, it seems.
Countries like Croatia and Hungary have already started to let Americans in.
Also, Norway, Belgium Sweden and Austria will let US citizens in if they are in a relationship with a national of those respective countries. So some people still get it, at least.
Spain and Italy struggled but they were able to control idiot citizens Who acted irrationally. But yes, controlling idiot citizens is against the law in Divided States of America. We have nurses in the MEDICAL field who decided to tell children they can’t get the virus. Because they know more than Doctors. These are nurses who are Tramp supporters.
You cannot go nowhere as an American these days. Serbia? Ukraine? Mexico?
Those are high-risk places for covid-19. You don’t wanna go there voluntarily. Particularly considering your international health insurance is unlikely to provide coverage in case of a pandemic…
Without a doubt, the USA would’ve had fewer deaths had we had an effective leader, or leaders.
Italy and Spain had higher deaths per capita as they were in front of the learning curve and undoubtedly the USA learned from their treatment errors and refinements.
A non disputable fact is that the USA is now a pariah state among the industrialized world for its pandemic failures.
Precisely because of the power and influence of the U.S., Italy recently banned 13 countries from travel to Italy because of high coronavirus rates — including Bangladesh, Brazil, Peru and North Macedonia — but left the U.S. off the list.
I agree that this man’s piece was a nasty bit of unhinged hyperbole.
Kyle calling another writer’s style as bombastic made me laugh.
Even if you don’t agree the US passport is worthless now, it’s certainly worth less than it used to be, at any rate…
“I’d wager that there’s plenty of citizens from many countries around the world that would happily trade their own for a US passport when given the chance”
I’m not sure if that is the standard you want to compare the US passport to…
What countries is he comparing the US passport to???
– Australians aren’t even allowed to leave their own country.
– Canadians can go to the same countries American can go to plus Europe.
– Europeans can travel to Europe plus a few Caribbean islands, Canada and Thailand.
Most countries globally allow you to travel to your neighboring countries and a few exceptions so about every passport right now has between 20-40 countries that will let you in.
This guy is talking shit just to talk shit.
Australians are doing a great job because they want to keep the infection rate down. Why would this even be a point of argument? Haha
When millions of people around the world stop wanting to move to the USA I’ll believe the passport is worthless. Until then, the extreme high demand for immigration to the US suggests the passport is far from worthless.
Well…. There is a reason why renouncing your citizenship is the most expensive in the US (2350 dollars for the base fee vs 70 in Canada and between 100 and 0 in Europe).
Blindly proud
The article described makes a major flaw. The passport isn’t causing someone to be restricted. It’s the country of residence. If you have a US passport but happen to be living in a country with low COVID-19 rates, you will have better access. For example, someone on a US passport with the right to live in Germany can enter Germany.
It has nothing to do with being American; everything to do with the current health situation in the country, and the efforts of other countries to minimize risk.
Would Americans seriously contemplate international leisure travel at this time? I suspect only the selfish , the foolhardy or those with a death wish.
The major lesson from this: don’t elect an incompetent, truculent toad to lead the country, and especially not one whose every motive is self-serving, and every policy to the advantage of rotten-to-the-core cronies and vested interests. Fortunately the lesson is well-understood.
Did you read the whole article? Indi went on to talk about how Americans are untrustworthy and spouted hate for a couple of paragraphs.
I have no problem with leisure travel during this pandemic and Americans who are willing to follow quarantine rules can easily travel to Europe. Only the selfish think that they have the right to dictate the behavior of others. I am not foolhardy, nor do I wish to die. I understand that the risks of COVID-19 are drastically overstated by the hysterical press. The US death toll would have been much lower but for the actions of a few Democratic governors and one Democratic mayor. You know exactly who I am talking about. What “cronies” have a vested interest in destroying the economy except those on the left? People who aren’t guaranteed their incomes by corporate or state overlords see the hypocrisy and lunacy of most government responses to the pandemic. Florida may have a big increase in cases, but its death rate per capita from COVID-19 is one-eighth that of New Jersey or New York, so it has a long way to go until it can “flatten the curve” so successfully.
Who wastes his time to read that garbage? Proud American here.
Be as proud as you want, you guys are still now welcomed almost anywhere. Lmao was about time
Pride goes hand in hand with ignorance, if you’re the unaware majority . Keep going. Tell your brother cousin to vote this year.
The worst has yet to come. New England is prepared for the next wave but the rest of the southern states are still behind the curve. Why can’t everybody learn from metro NYC’s mistakes and follow their lead for a coordinated national response?
The article really sums it up: hero to zero. Beaten by an enemy that cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Its difficult to take this seriously considering the messenger.
In particular, I found this line absurd:
“Governor Cuomo who (despite some inconsistencies in policy) has managed to get one of the most populous states in the US through the crisis.”
Cuomo got NYS through the crisis independent of the quarantine. He didn’t announce it until NYS had bent the curve. It would be more accurate to say:
“Governor Cuomo who has managed to get one of the most populous states in the US through the crisis. After solving the crisis, Cuomo announced that visitors from COVID-19 hot spots around the US would face restrictions, despite being against such restrictions months earlier.
I also wonder if Kyle reads his comments. Matt does a better job of responding to comments on his posts.
I know for sure we can visit Belarus now(no 14 day self isolation requirement). So the list of countries is wrong. Author should have spent time on research and provide useful up to date information instead of writing political screed.
@Niclson – lol
Usually no one likes Americans and now them having a taste of their own snobbish medicine feels so SO good for the rest of the world
I remember sometimes ago similar arguments regarding flight restrictions on MAX8. Arguments, opinions and others made believe that it shall be temporary short time.
And here we are, at present, still far from it.
Maybe some people finally learned that they are not the centre of the universe. Who knows….
For the EU, the restrictions are based on country of residence, not passport. Making restrictions only applicable to US-domiciled Americans.
I live in London. No restrictions for me entering the EU .
Good information, thank you for sharing. It adds to the lists of problems with the source material.
It’s clear Kyle is a Tramp [redacted by admin] kisser. Yawn
Good grief. VFTW has already been ruined by so many partisan commentators more interested in politics than travel. Now LALF has the problem even worse. Bad comments drive out good, so I think you should consider of either moderating out partisan political comments, or close comments altogether. We can always go to FT.
Well, come 2021 US passport holders will need an authorization — few requirements short of calling it a visa — to enter the EU. If that is not a sign of eroded power of the blue passport, then I don’t know what is.
For fact checkers:
https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-etias-not-a-visa-permission-europe-schengen-20190312-story.html
I appreciate this article, but I’m disappointed to see that, even though you denigrate the first article for not citing sources, you also don’t cite your sources. I don’t know how to trust anything either of you say without any connecting evidence.
@Allison – Thank you for reaching out. In fairness, I did link to Business Insider, another to a post about Gov. Cuomo (which is subsequently filled with additional links) and still a further to support a reader’s experience travelling to Europe a few weeks ago. That’s in addition to linking to the article itself.
The rest is opinion and speculation. For example, I speculate countries will remove these restrictions but it’s solely speculation – how can anyone know. It also includes my opinion about what the author of the linked post wrote, there wouldn’t be any links based on my opinion and analysis for that. I am not entirely sure what additional links you’d suggest I add. What else needs support?
“It’s highly unlikely that the 185 countries that officially offer visa-free travel to US passport holders will maintain these restrictions for a long period of time. Rather, some have already eased limitations and as the US works through the recent outbreak, more will open to Americans again.”
Completely wrong and based on nothing; unless you consider several years to not be a long period of time?
There’s no ‘recent’ outbreak. We are not quickly working through it. New infections are at all time highs, deaths and hospitalizations are trending up, and we are the worst affected nation on Earth.
Hi Joshua, thanks for taking the time to comment. You write: “Completely wrong and based on nothing; unless you consider several years to not be a long period of time?” While I always welcome a challenge to anything I write, I have to ask, what did you base your assessment on? Do you have facts that outline restrictions to US passport holders for “several years”? I’ve not yet seen restrictions against American visitors for “several years” nor could anyone possibly know if those measures would remain in place or be revised as the situation improves. It would foolish for any country to be absolutely sure that this issue will persist in the US for several years and pose a threat to their citizenry.
Another factual inaccuracy in your comment is this: “deaths and hospitalizations are trending up” New cases are trending upward, this is true, but deaths are not, at least not in line with prior bursts. For example, New York had 411,000 infections and 32,000 deaths most of which took place during the initial US outbreak. However, Florida which has been a hotspot as of late has 338,000 cases but less than 5,000 deaths (80% fewer deaths.) The high infection rate in Florida is also suspect: https://bitly.com/3fGLicQ