US warns against travel to Japan ahead of Summer Olympics

The US is warning Americans not to travel to Japan due to a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo this summer — even for those who are fully vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department both issued alerts Monday advising citizens against traveling to the East Asian country, although an outright travel ban was not put into effect ahead of the Games set for July 23 through Aug. 8. “Travelers should avoid all travel to Japan,” the CDC alert reads. “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.”