WASHINGTON, December 6, Reuters - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC advised Americans not to travel to France, Jordan, Portugal and Tanzania, citing COVID- 19 concerns.
The CDC has now added 83 destinations at the Level 4: Very High Classification and on Monday added Andorra, Cyprus and Liechtenstein to the highest travel advisory level.
France said on Monday: com world europe france close discos-four weeks-ahead year-end 2021 -- 12 - 06 it would close nightclubs ahead of Christmas and tighten social distancing measures in response to the emerging Omicron variant of the coronaviruses, but there was no need for new lockdowns or curfews.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said that the fifth wave of the epidemic was surging, but with 52 million people now being vaccinated - nearly 90% of those who were eligible - the situation was better than in previous outbreaks.
International air travelers in the United States must meet a negative COVID 19 test within a day of travel, according to the new rules imposed by the United States on Monday.
Vaccined international air travelers could present a negative test result within three days of their departure, according to the prior rules.
Some airline officials told Reuters there is a three-day grace period to allow for some travelers to return to the United States with tests taken outside of the one-day window.
A spokeswoman for the CDC declined to confirm that but said CDC is exercising some enforcement discretion as this requirement is put in place. The White House has withdrawn nearly all foreign nationals from eight southern African countries from entering the United States on November 29 due to fears of the spread of the Omicron variant, but it has not extended travel restrictions to other countries where the new variant has been discovered.
France has now identified 25 positive cases of the Omicron variant.
The African travel restrictions were being discussed on a daily basis, according to a White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki.