US State Department stops issuing passports.
The US Department of State has halted its passport services with the exception of travellers who have a “qualified life-or-death emergency.”
In a statement on its website, the State Department said it will only offer passports to customers with a qualified emergency.
“Due to public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, effective March 20, 2020, we are only able to offer service for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours,” said the online statement.
The agency defined emergency cases as people who need to travel because of “serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (e.g. parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etc.).”
Applications received on or before March 19 will be processed with applicants expected to receive their newly issued passport in the next two to three weeks.
The Department of State did not say when it would resume normal passport services.
To make an appointment at a passport agency for a life-or-death emergency, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778.
As of Friday, the coronavirus has infected more than 1 million people worldwide and killed over 53,000.
The US is the hardest-hit country with more than 245,500 cases.
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