The United States released the latest travel warnings on several European countries and Israel as delta variant cases go up. The state department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest travel warnings on Monday for Israel, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, and Krygyzstan.
Apart from the travel warnings, the White House also turned down any hope for any short-term US-UK travel corridor. According to White House spokesperson Jen Psaki, “Given where we are today…with the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point”.
And it is not just visitors from the UK. The US also announced that they have no plans of lifting border restrictions for Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Spain, and Portugal.
Latest Travel Warnings
Cyprus, Spain, and Portugal received the highest travel advisories from the US. Level 4 travel advisory means that Americans should avoid traveling to these countries. This includes those who received complete doses of the vaccine. The same travel advisory goes for the UK. In the UK, cases are currently up while public health restrictions are getting scrapped.
According to the CDC, “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID19 variants”.
Israel, on the other hand, received a Level 3 travel advisory. This indicates a “high level of COVID19”. Travelers are advised to “avoid nonessential travel” or get fully vaccinated in case they have to travel to Israel.
Disappointment from the UK Ban
After the US announced its ban on UK travelers, a government minister expressed his disappointment over the decision. Kit Malthouse, the policing minister and MP for North West Hampshire, said that he wants international travel to return “as soon as possible”.
The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the US. CDC also announced that even fully vaccinated people can spread the Delta variant. In an announcement on Tuesday, even those who completed their vaccine doses are now recommended to wear masks in public indoor settings. In May, the CDC announced that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks.
