There’s been another plot twist in the story of the reopening of borders due to COVID. The U.S. State Department, following the guidance of the CDC, is now urging its citizens to “reconsider” travel to Canada.
Late Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revised its travel advisory for Canada, upgrading the risk level from a Level 2 “exercise increased caution” to a Level 3 “reconsider travel.”
According to the Canadian Press, no specific reason was given, however, the CDC says Canada has “high” levels of COVID infections.
That’s even though, as the report notes, “Only about 61 per cent of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, compared with nearly 75 per cent of Canadians over the age of 12.”
Canada was pegged at the lower, Level 2 risk category for American travellers for less than a month. The shift to the lower-risk Level 2 coincided with Canada’s reopening its borders to fully vaccinated Americans on 09AUG.
Meanwhile, the U.S. land border to Canada remains closed. The American government unilaterally extended the closure to 21SEP, citing risks due to the Delta variant, and has given no indication when it may open its land borders for non-essential travel.
Although Canada was moved from Level 2 to Level 3 on the CDC's ever-morphing travel advisories list, other countries were moved into the Level 4, "Very High" risk category. Switzerland, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia are among seven destinations classified as highest-risk, where the CDC says Americans should avoid travel. And if they must go to a Level 4 destination, they should ensure they are only fully vaccinated prior.
