US issues a “do not travel” recommendation to UK due to a surge in Covid-19 cases

The Department of State of the US and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued on Monday a maximum alert level against travel to the UK, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in that country.

The two agencies placed the UK on a “Level Four” warning, telling US citizens that they should not travel to the country.

“If you must travel to the UK, make sure you are fully vaccinated.” Said the CDC in its notice, while the State Department said: “Do not travel to the UK due to COVID-19”.

In May, the US government lowered the alert scale on travel to the UK, leaving it at “Level 3” which suggests seeking advice in an emergency.

The warning comes amid a surge in case numbers that is already marring the UK’s so-called “Freedom Day,” a loosening of pandemic-related restrictions that aims to herald the complete reopening of a battered economy. for its deepest recession in 300 years.

The The UK reported more than 54,000 new cases on Saturday and more than 47,600 on Sunday, more than Indonesia, the current global epicenter of the pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Local authorities are asking hundreds of thousands of Britons to agree to a voluntary 10-day quarantine.

The curves of cases per million people in the US and the UK:

Since March 2020, the United States has barred nearly all non-US citizens who have recently been to the United Kingdom from entering the country. Britain allows visits to the United States, but requires a 10-day quarantine on arrival and two negative COVID-19 tests.

US officials and airline executives do not expect restrictions on travelers from the UK to be lifted until August at the earliest, and warn that loosening of the rules could be further delayed.

The CDC noted that all travelers should follow protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining a distance of at least 1.8 meters from other people.