U.S. Issues Travel Restrictions to Canada Amid Covid Surge

JAKARTADAILY.ID - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States State Department issued a travel warning to neighboring Canada on Monday due to a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant, Reuters reported Tuesday (January 11, 2022).

The CDC raised its travel warning for Canada to "Level Four: Very High," as it also remains a top foreign destination for Americans, advising Americans to avoid travel. Meanwhile the State Department announced a "Level Four: Do Not Travel" advisory for Canada on Monday, citing COVID-19 infections.

Additionally, the island of Curacao, as well as approximately 80 other sites globally, are listed as Level Four by the CDC.

"We are aware of the latest CDC advice," said a spokesperson for Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, stressing that Ottawa had already advised residents against non-essential travel last month.

In November, the United States eased restrictions on fully vaccinated foreign citizens at its land borders with Canada and Mexico, bringing to an end historic prohibitions on non-essential visitors imposed in March 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada issued the recommendation in March 2020, but lifted it in October, shortly before the first Omicron cases were confirmed, noting the success of vaccination initiatives.

This month, Canada set a new one-day record for the highest number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Last Friday, officials announced that new daily cases had increased by 65 percent in the preceding week, posing a threat to healthcare services.

The CDC also decreased travel restrictions to Armenia, Belarus, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe from Level Four to "Level 3: High" on Monday. Singapore, previously listed as unknown, is now rated as “Level 3”.

However, it should be noted that Americans who intend to travel to Level 3 destinations must first be fully vaccinated.