by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Tue January 11, 2022
Government officials in the United States have issued an advisory against travel to Canada due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads.
According to Reuters.com, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department have moved Canada to the highest level of their respective travel advisory lists.
The CDC switched Canada to its "Level Four: Very High" list, while the Department of State moved America's northern neighbor to its "Level Four: Do Not Travel" advisory list.
In addition, the CDC added the island of Curacao to its Level Four list, bringing the total number of worldwide destinations the agency says travelers should avoid to about 80. The CDC lowered Armenia, Belarus, Lesotho, Singapore and Zimbabwe to "Level 3: High."
"We are aware of the latest CDC advice," Canadian Foreign Minister spokeswoman Melanie Joly told Reuters.com.
The U.S. lifted border restrictions with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals in November, ending a travel ban that had been in place since March 2020 as part of an effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, the Canadian government advised against all non-essential international travel for at least four weeks. Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said the advisory would be reviewed and possibly extended.
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