Americans are being warned to avoid traveling to Canada because of COVID-19 variants that are circulating around that country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending Americans not travel to Canada at this time, noting that even fully vaccinated travelers are at risk of getting and spreading the virus variants.
The U.S.-Canada border remains closed to nonessential travel.
The reason for this new warning is because the COVID-19 variants, which are more easily transmitted, are rolling through pockets of Canada. In British Columbia, two variants are leading to the spike with rising hospitalizations, according to a Monday, April 6, article posted by the Canadian media outlet CBC. The two variants, one first spotted in the United Kingdom and the other in Brazil, have caused the surge in recent weeks.
The Brazil variant led to the closure of the Whistler ski resort, which saw a spike in cases after visitors began spreading the variant in February.
The CDC recommends that for those who must travel to Canada should be fully vaccinated, wear masks and stay socially distant. The CDC also recommends getting tested 3-5 days after traveling to Canada.
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