US citizens are being urged not to travel to the UK, shattering hopes of a US-UK travel corridor for the peak summer season.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed the UK on its highest tier for COVID levels this afternoon due to an alarming rise in case numbers.
It is now on Level 4, which is reserved for countries with ‘very high’ levels of COVID.
The CDC urged Americans not to travel to the UK on the same day that the country celebrated the removal of most remaining COVID restrictions.
In its latest advice to travellers, the CDC said:
- Avoid travel to the United Kingdom.
- If you must travel to the United Kingdom, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.
- Because of the current situation in the United Kingdom, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.
It said that if citizens do travel to the UK, they should wear a mask and keep six feet ( two metres) away from others.
The warning comes as a blow to those who had hoped the UK and US would agree to open a travel corridor before the end of the summer holidays.
The US is on the UK’s amber travel list, but the US hasn’t allowed Britons to enter, other than in exceptional circumstances, since March last year.
In addition to the UK, the US today placed Indonesia, Fiji and Zimbabwe on Level 4.
