The resumption of non-essential US-UK travel suddenly seems further away than ever.
The US State Department raised its travel advisory for the UK to the highest Level 4: ‘Do Not Travel.’
It cites ‘a very high level of Covid-19 in the country; the State Department said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had earlier raised its own advisory.
"There are restrictions in place affecting U.S. citizen entry into the United Kingdom. Your risk of contracting Covid-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine," the advisory states.
The UK was previously at Level 3: ‘Reconsider Travel.’
The CDC asks all Americans to avoid Level 4 destinations but if travel is essential, they should be fully vaccinated, it recommends.
"Because of the current situation in the United Kingdom, even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants,” the CDC said.
It comes as UK and US trade groups and airlines have been applying pressure on both governments to take action to restart nonessential travel across the Atlantic.
The UK just surpassed 50,000 new daily cases, the highest in six months.
