US Issues New Travel Advisory; Asks Citizens To Postpone Trip To India Amid COVID Spread
The United States on Tuesday, January 25, advised its citizens to postpone any trip to India amid concerns over COVID-19 cases in the country.
The US State Department’s latest travel advisory also encouraged people to exercise utmost caution in India owing to crime and terrorism. The new recommendation was issued after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a Level-3 Travel Health Notice for India citing a high level of COVID-19 cases in the country. “Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorised vaccine,” the State Department said in a statement as per PTI.
The State Department further asked people to go through the CDC’s specific guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers before planning any foreign trip. It strictly advised people not to travel places near the India-Pakistan border. “Do not travel to Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest. Also, within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict,” the statement read. “Indian authorities report rape is one of the fastest-growing crimes in India. Violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations,” the advisory added as per PTI.
India is witnessing a decline in COVID-19 cases
It is worth mentioning here that India is witnessing a decline in COVID-19 cases for the last couple of days. The country reported 2,85,914 new cases, 665 deaths and 2,99,073 recoveries in the last 24 hours. The overall COVID-19 active case stands at 22,23,018 while the Daily positivity rate is at 16.16% in the country. The recovery rate is currently at 93.23% with a total of 3,73,70,971 recoveries to date, as per Union Health Ministry.
Only 40% of Americans have taken a booster shot
It is pertinent to mention here that the COVID-19 booster drive in the United States is waning, raising concerns among health experts who have encouraged Americans to get an extra shot to strengthen their immunity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 40% of fully vaccinated Americans have taken a booster shot. In the United States, the average number of booster shots given out per day has dropped from one million in early December to around 4.9 lakh as of last week. In addition, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans are more inclined to believe that the initial vaccines are more important than the booster shots.