The U.S. Centers for Disease Control urged Americans to avoid travel to the Philippines, which it placed on the highest travel alert due to high COVID-19 cases, according to an official advisory late Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
The Philippines is classified under Alert Level 4, meaning cases are "very high", the CDC said. Americans traveling to the Philippines must follow local COVID-19 protocols, it said.
"If you must travel to the Philippines, make sure you are vaccinated and up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before travel," the CDC said.
On Tuesday, authorities in Manila reported 9,493 new COVID cases, the first time since Jan. 4 that, daily cases fell below 10,000. Local authorities said there have been signs that the omicron surge was starting to slow down.
Restrictions in Metro Manila were dialed down one notch from Tuesday to Alert Level 2, meaning children can go outdoors for leisure and businesses and social and religious gatherings can proceed at higher capacities.
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