If you are planning a trip outside the USA this summer to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, or Kyrgyzstan, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants you avoid the trip while the State Department has issued “Do Not Travel” advisories due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in those countries, Reuters reports. The four countries were given the “Level Four” (the CDC’s most severe travel rating) travel advisory ranking on Monday, June 26.
As per Northwestern.edu, “Level Four” is the highest advisory level due to the greater likelihood of life-threatening risks, as the U.S. government has a limited ability to provide assistance. The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country at all, or if in the country in question already, leave as soon as it is safe to do so.
The first US flight to resume traveling to Portugal began on July 1, according to the Shenghen Visa Info website, while Spain has had open borders to American tourists since the beginning of June. In both cases, all Americans who enter must show a vaccination document proving that at least 14 days have passed since the last shot was administered, or provide negative results from a PCR test within 72 hours before departure or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of boarding.
Currently, in Portugal, there are 1610 new COVID cases and 9 new deaths, as per Direcção-Geral de Saúde (DGS). More than 41% of Portugal’s population has already received both doses of the vaccine.
The CDC also showed concern about the rising number of COVID cases in Israel (up three levels in two months), Cuba, the United Kingdom, and Armenia, just after it had eased travel recommendations for more than 110 countries and territories in June.
