THE UNITED STATES has upgraded its warning against travel to a number of countries, including Ireland, after assessing the destinations as having very high levels of Covid-19.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an updated advisory asking Americans to reconsider travel to sixteen destinations due to the risk of Covid-19, even if vaccinated.
Other locations recently ranked ‘Level 4: Avoid Travel’ by the CDC include Malta, Greece, the Isle of Man, Kazakhstan, Libya, Andorra, Saint Barthelemy, Lesotho, Martinique, and Curacao.
The advisory asks that Americans who must travel to Ireland be fully vaccinated, noting that “because of the current situation in Ireland, even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants”.
Public health officials yesterday confirmed 1,352 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, up from 1,098 on Sunday.
In June, the European Union opened up to travellers for the US typically requiring proof of vaccination or negative tests. The US was removed from Ireland’s Mandatory Hotel Quarantine list on 28 May, though passengers still have to complete a Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form and show proof of a negative PCR test at least 72 hours before arrival.
However, the US has been restricting travel from the European Union, Britain, China and Iran for more than a year due to the pandemic, later adding other countries including Brazil and India.
The White House said last week that the US would maintain restrictions on international travel into the country, sidestepping European pressure, pointing to a surge of cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant at home and abroad.
Covid cases have also been rising again in the US, overwhelmingly due to the Delta variant among people who have not been vaccinated despite the wide availability of doses.
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