US adds Japan to 'Do Not Travel' COVID-19 advisory list

The United States has added Japan to its list of countries not to travel to due to the COVID-19 situation.

The U.S. State Department on Monday issued the highest travel advisory for Japan due to “very high” levels of COVID-19 in the country. “Travelers should avoid all travel to Japan," according to the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Because of the current situation in Japan, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan." The Level 4 advisory announcement comes less than two months before the scheduled July 23 opening ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to comment on the latest U.S. travel advisory, but said Friday that the games would still open, even if some parts of Japan were under a state of emergency due to COVID-19.