In the wake of two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, Uruguay has issued a travel alert for its citizens thinking about visiting the United States.
The alert, issued Monday by the country’s foreign ministry, warns tourists to avoid large concentrations of people while visiting the U.S., citing “the indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population.”
It advises travelers “to avoid areas with large concentrations of people like theme parks, shopping centers, art festivals, religious events, food festivals and any kind of cultural or sporting gathering.”
It also warns about travel to certain “dangerous” cities, specifically pointing out Detroit, Baltimore, and Albuquerque.
Uruguay’s homicide rate spiked 46% last year to an official rate of 11.8 per 100,000 people, leading more than 407,000 people to sign a formal petition that demands a referendum to introduce tough policies that would crack down on the escalating crime.
The advisory comes two days after a gunman in El Paso, Texas opened fire at a Walmart, killing 20. The suspect reportedly penned a manifesto prior to the rampage expressing the desire to stop the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
Just hours after the El Paso shooting, another gunman opened fire outside a bar and restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine and wounding 27 others before being killed by police officers in less than a minute.
