CDC eases travel restriction on Japan and other countries ahead of the Olympics
The agency says people should be fully vaccinated before traveling.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its recommendations for traveling to Japan. As spotted by Reuters, the CDC moved Japan from its highly prohibitive Level 4 risk assessment to a Level 3 assessment on Monday. The CDC lowered 61 other countries alongside Japan. Another 50 were dropped to Level 2 or Level 1, the CDC told Reuters.
Last month, the US State Department issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory for Japan, causing controversy in the two months leading up to the already delayed Summer Olympics. Tokyo is set to host the games, which were originally slated for 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, starting July 23.
The CDC's Level 4 risk assessment advises against all travel to a country and recommends being vaccinated if you must go there. Level 3 is more forgiving. The risk is still high, but the CDC doesn't strictly recommend against it for vaccinated people.
The State Department has updated its travel recommendations to match.