US State Department issues ‘do not travel’ memo after UK Covid-19 cases surge

COVID-VACCINE-US-JOHNSON
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,in March 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Susan Walsh-Pool/Getty Images)

Americans should avoid travelling to the UK, the US State Department has warned after Britain saw its Covid-19 cases soar to the highest levels since January.

It follows the decision by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to boost its travel warning to “Very High”. They cited the high number of cases that put even fully vaccinated travellers at risk of contracting and then spreading variants.

The State Department’s warning comes amid the full reopening of the economy in England. Dubbed “freedom day”, all restrictions including the mask mandate and social distancing have been scrapped.

The UK’s daily case numbers hit 54,000 on Saturday, putting it ahead of Indonesia as the current epicentre of the virus.

The reopening follows the worst recession in over 300 years, and Boris Johnson cited the “if not now, when?” argument for opening up now.

The Prime Minister came under fire for planning to take part in the pilot scheme that allows some people to avoid the otherwise mandatory 10 day isolation period having come in contact with someone with the virus.

He and the Chancellor u-turned on their decision after a matter of hours.

The reopening did not spark a sudden return to airlines and cruise companies, however. Bloomberg said that investors were fleeing towards safer options, not those dependent on Covid-19 being contained.