United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the State Department, recommended Americans to not travel to Canada amid rising COVID-19 cases in North America.

The State Department issued a “Level Four: Do Not Travel” advisory on Monday to Canada, while the central healthcare regulatory body issued a “Level Four: Very High Risk” advisory.

Also Read: CDC posts rationale for shorter isolation, quarantine

Canada– which has been a popular destination for Americans– has been added to a list of 80 regions by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The island of Curacao has also been tagged with a level four advisory.

Melanie Joly, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson for Canada, said that the authorities were “aware of the latest CDC advice” while acknowledging the omicron surge. Canada also recommended Ottawa residents travel only when essential, according to reports from Reuters.

United States authorities recently went on a roll of dismantling COVID-19 travel restrictions and opening its borders as COVID cases seemed to take a dip in October.  For Canadians and Mexicans who had been fully vaccinated against COVID, United States opened up its northern and southern land borders, once again allowing non-essential travel.

Canada surpassed its own one-day record of COVID-19 related hospitalisations earlier this month, turning up the pressure on the country’s healthcare system. According to reports from Reuters citing government officials, new daily cases in Canada spiked by 65% on Friday.

Also Read: Omicron may not be stopped by cloth masks, study suggests

Hospitalisations of American children under 5 with COVID-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine.

The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(With AP inputs)