The US State Department along with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their travel health notices for several countries on Monday. 62 destinations including Mexico, Italy, France, and Germany were removed from the “COVID19 very high” Level 4 tier. The 62 countries are now classified under the “COVID19 high” Level 3 tier.
The CDC wants travelers to avoid countries under the Level 4 tier. On the other hand, travelers are only advised to complete their vaccination before traveling to countries under Level 3. The travel restriction update comes after the US vaccination rate across the US climbs to more than 50% on Monday. 51.6% of the US population received at least one dose while 42.1% are fully vaccinated according to the health agency.
Because of the US vaccination rate, the CDC now has specific advice for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. In their statement on Tuesday, the heath notice levels “reflect the current global situation and are aligned with guidance for international travel”.
If you’ll look at the destinations on CDC’s travel recommendations page, around a quarter of the 246 destinations listed are still at Level 4 tier. CDC suggests that you complete your vaccination first if you have no other choice and must travel to these countries.
The State Department announced that they are going to “continue to monitor health and safety conditions around the world, working with the CDC and other agencies, as conditions evolve”.
How will this travel restriction update affect travel demand? Could this increase the number of Americans traveling to other countries this summer?
European Union is now open to fully vaccinated individuals. US travelers can now visit countries like Spain, France, and Greece without quarantine if they are fully vaccinated.
And it’s not just Europe that is offering no quarantine for vaccinated US travelers. The Bahamas, Maldives, and Malta are some of the other options that travelers can choose from if they want to skip quarantine.
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