US issues 'Do Not Travel' warning for Canada
Canada remains a top foreign destination for Americans
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US State Department on Monday advised against travel to neighboring Canada because of a rising number of Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads.
The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High" for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel, while the State Department also on Monday issued its "Level Four: Do Not Travel" advisory for Canada citing Covid-19 cases.
The CDC, which lists about 80 destinations worldwide at Level Four, also raised the island of Curacao to Level Four.
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In November, the United States lifted restrictions at its land borders with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals, ending historic curbs on non-essential travelers put in place in March 2020 to address the Covid-19 pandemic.
Canada remains a top foreign destination for Americans.
"We are aware of the latest CDC advice," said a spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, noting that last month Ottawa had urged residents against non-essential travel.
Canada first issued the advisory in March 2020 but withdrew it last October - before the first Omicron cases were reported - citing the success of vaccination campaigns.
This month, Canada broke its one-day record for the highest number of people hospitalized with Covid-19. Last Friday, officials said new daily cases had soared by 65% in the previous week, threatening healthcare systems.
The CDC on Monday also lowered travel recommendations from Level Four to "Level 3: High" to Armenia, Belarus, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. It also rate Singapore as "Level 3," after it previously was listed as unknown.
The CDC says Americans should be fully vaccinated before traveling to Level 3 destinations.
Covid-19 hospitalizations in the United States reached a record high of 132,646, according to a Reuters tally on Monday, as the highly contagious Omicron variant pushed hospitalizations past the record 132,051 set in January last year. (Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Aurora Ellis)
