U.S. upgrades Canada to ‘do not travel’ status amid soaring COVID-19 numbers

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday upgraded Canada to “do not travel” status amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

The travel advisory says “do not travel to Canada due to COVID-19,” on the state department website.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Canada due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country,” the website stated.

Eighty-per cent of the world’s countries are now ‘do not travel’ countries for the U.S., according to the Associated Press. Travel is also discouraged for the remaining 20 per cent, though not as emphatically. It says people with plans to visit those countries should reconsider before proceeding.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously listed Canada as Level 4 or “very high” warning against all travel to the country.

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“Because of the current situation in  Canada even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” the CDC stated on its website.

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The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to people travelling for vacations and other non-essential visits since March 2020 to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 — With files from the Associated Press