The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has set the risk of COVID-19 in Mexico to its highest level and is urging travelers to avoid going to the country.
The CDC set its risk level to level four, which is “very high,” warning that going to the country “may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.”
The organization urges those going to Mexico to get a viral test up to three days before the trip and between three to five days after the trip. It also urges all travelers to stay home for seven days after travel.
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While in the country, the CDC recommends staying at least six feet or two meters apart from those not traveling with you and to wear a mask.
Mexico last month passed 100,000 fatalities from COVID-19, making it the fourth country in the world to reach the grim milestone. It also surpassed 1 million coronavirus infections.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing on Monday that “Mexico is in bad shape,” according to The Associated Press. He urged its leaders to be serious about the virus.
Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has been criticized by some for downplaying the spread of the virus and for his overall handling of the pandemic.
There have been 1,122,362 cases of COVID-19 in Mexico since the pandemic began, according to a count from Johns Hopkins University, and more than 106,000 people have died.
However, health officials have warned that actual coronavirus numbers could be higher due to low levels of testing.