Just as the U.S. prepares to reopen its borders to international travel, Europe is seeing a major surge in COVID-19 cases, prompting health experts to warn against overseas vacations.
Come Monday, international travel is going to get easier as U.S. officials plan to lift restrictions for fully vaccinated Europeans.
Popular sites such as Expedia, SkyScanner and Hopper have already observed a spike in flights and searches for vacations in Europe. Yet, before you plan a trip to see the European Christmas markets, be aware that Germany this week reported nearly 34,000 new infections in a 24-hour period, marking a new record high.
Rather than taking advantage of the holiday months, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine at UCSF, advised that Americans hold off on travel until the spring.
"What we’ve seen with delta is rapid on rapid off," Chin-Hong said to KCBS Radio’s "Ask an Expert." "So as the weather gets warmer in Europe in the springtime my prediction is it (COVID-19 case rates) will start coming down."
However, for those dedicated to winter plans, if you are fully vaccinated with boosters and adhere to masking protocols, health officials reassure that you should be fine.
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