Canada recorded almost 300,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past week resulting in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) putting the country on alert level 4.
Other than Canada, the Caribbean island of Curacao is also on alert level 4, also known as the CDC's COVID-19 very high category.
Canada, the Caribbean island of Curacao travels should be avoided
According to CNN, countries that are placed on alert level 4 are those that report 500 cases per 100,000 residents registered in the last 28 days.
Countries on alert level 4 are not necessarily on lockdown, but the CDC is encouraging those who wish to visit to postpone their flights. However, those who need to go to Canada must present a negative Covid test and be fully vaccinated.
Both Canada and the Caribbean island of Curacao were on alert level 3 for quite some time. But the recent holiday season caused an uptick in the number of positive cases in both countries. As such, both are now on alert level 4.
Canadian PM slams unmasked travelers that partied in Mexico
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously urged residents to avoid non-essential international travel. He also rebuked a group of Canadians who traveled to Mexico without their masks on.
According to Reuters, the CDC also urges Americans to avoid traveling to Canada due to omicron. And the State Department also issued a "level four: do not travel" advisory for the country.
The CDC's alert level 4 list includes 80 countries as press writing. But the organization also lowered travel recommendations for some countries from level 4 to level 3. This includes Armenia, Belarus, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Singapore.
However, travelers need to be fully vaccinated to be able to travel to countries under alert level 3.
Aruba added to CDC's alert level 4 list
In the Caribbean, Aruba was also added to CDC's alert level 4 due to the current COVID-19 situation in the country. However, travelers can still visit Aruba as long as they comply with the country's specific requirements.
"Anyone traveling to Aruba from a location classified as high-risk will need to complete the PCR testing requirement 2 days prior to departure to Aruba regardless of vaccination status and will not have the option to test upon arrival in Aruba," a notice on Visit Aruba states.
The Bahamas and Sint Maarten are currently on alert level 3. The CDC urges non-essential travel to both destinations to be avoided for the time being.
Other Caribbean countries also updated their travel requirements due to the spread of omicron. This includes Barbados, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, according to The Points Guy.
Other countries included in CDC's alert level 4 are France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Out of these countries, only Spain and the Netherlands imposed another lockdown in recent weeks. All other countries announced new restrictions, but the majority did not want to go into a lockdown.
Other countries are also experiencing a surge in omicron cases since November.
Related Article: Netherlands Could Be First Country To Detect Latest COVID-19 Variant Omicron, Not South Africa
