US lifts coronavirus-related 'Do Not Travel' warnings, including for Turkiye

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped a "Do Not Travel" warning for dozens of countries, including Turkiye.

The decisions announced Monday have resulted in no countries remaining in the Level 4 designation. Many that were upgraded are now at Level 3, meaning the CDC continues to recommend all travelers be up to date on their vaccinations before traveling.

Individuals who are not vaccinated against coronavirus should still avoid travel, according to the CDC.

The countries that are now at Level 3, or "COVID-19 High," include more than 120 nations, including Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Japan, Iran and Russia.

Just 12 nations are Level 2 "COVID-19 Moderate," while 55 are Level 1 "COVID-19 Low."

The CDC announced last week that it would overhaul its country warnings.

It said then that it would be moving to reserve Level 4 for "special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern, or healthcare infrastructure collapse" to "help the public understand when the highest level of concern is most urgent."