The US Government has advised Americans against traveling to Canada due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised Canada to level four – very high in its travel recommendations, along with other 80 countries with the same level. Currently, the Omicron variant spreads rapidly among the Canadian provinces, increasing the hospitalization numbers to a record high.
All Canadian provinces encourage the population to get as many booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine as possible to nullify the impact of the variant.
Health officials cautioned that some vaccinated people will contract the disease, especially since omicron is more resistant to existing vaccines. Researchers have also found that omicron causes milder illness than delta, which became dominant last year. Many serious infections can be prevented by vaccination, particularly by those who have had a booster shot.
Canada generally recommends against nonessential international travel. The CDC also urges unvaccinated people who travel to get tested for the Coronavirus one to three days before their trip. In addition, the agency said people should not travel if they are sick, awaiting test results, or quarantined after close contact with an infected person.
However, it is important to know that, the decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad. Therefore, the government takes the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provide credible and timely information in your travel advice to enable you to make well-informed decisions regarding your travel abroad.