(CNN) – The 2021 summer travel season has started full of hope and promise, but more and more week by week the Delta variant is throwing it into disarray.

This more transmissible variation of the coronavirus was first detected in India in February, just as the United States and some other places around the world began to scale up their vaccination efforts. It turned out to be a race against time: gunfire against the spread of Delta.

Delta infections increase at the dawn of August, especially among the unvaccinated. Like all other waves of the pandemic, travel is feeling the impact of Covid quickly and harshly.

From the latest travel news to recent Google searches on the subject over the past few days, it’s clear that the Delta variant is causing more and more concern and disruption for governments and potential travelers alike. Here’s a quick summary:

UK green list update

The whole world seems to have the UK in its collective hive head. Over the past 24 hours, worldwide searches for various terms surrounding the UK ‘green list’ have fallen from 450% to 200%.

The official announcement is coming Thursday August 5 that Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia will be added to the green list.

A travel system based on traffic lights – red, amber and green – is in place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Non-UK residents of Red List countries are currently denied entry to the UK. UK residents returning home from Red List destinations are to undergo a 10-day hotel quarantine at their own expense.

You can read the England list here. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have their own rules but tend to follow suit. You can click on the links on the England site to see the latest news from these places.

Mexico wants to know a neighbor

A butterfly emerges from its nymph at the National Museum of Costa Rica.

Juan Carlos Ulate / Reuters

Meanwhile, Mexicans are more interested in travel restrictions in Costa Rica, a favorite with tourists in Central America.

It is a nation that has yet to erect barriers because of Delta: as of August 4, tourists from any country can still visit and arrive by air, land or sea (but only on yachts and sailboats in specific ports). There aren’t even any Covid-19 tests or quarantines in place. But you still have to fill out a health passport.

New York: get vaccinated for the full experience

People walk and cycle on the Brooklyn Bridge earlier this year. Vaccination mandates will be put in place for indoor sites in New York City.

People walk and cycle on the Brooklyn Bridge earlier this year. Vaccination mandates will be put in place for indoor sites in New York City.

Ed Jones / AFP / Getty Images

New York City, on the other hand, is responding to the increase in Delta variant cases in the United States. It’s keeping the welcome mat for tourists, but they’ll soon find more rules to follow.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on August 3 that vaccines would be mandatory for employees and customers of New York City’s indoor dining, fitness and entertainment venues.

The “Key to NYC pass” will launch on August 16 and begin to be applied on September 13, he said. Final details of the program are expected to be announced the week of August 16.

Chicago responds to the Delta variant

While the state of Illinois does not have travel restrictions, the city of Chicago does.

Chicago has a separate system that advises Covid-19 testing or quarantine if the unvaccinated visitor is from a state with a significant infection rate.

As of August 3, 19 states and two US territories were on the “amber list” requesting testing or quarantine. Some of the states that went into the Amber Box included Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.

China represses again

Tours of the very popular Great Wall may have to be postponed again.

Tours of the very popular Great Wall may have to be postponed again.

NOEL CELIS / AFP / AFP via Getty Images

Your dreams of seeing the Great Wall and other sights in China soon will probably have to be postponed.

Due to the Delta variant, China is grappling with its worst Covid-19 outbreak in months. The country now has 144 medium and high risk areas, the highest number since the initial epidemic in early 2020, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

Chinese immigration authorities have pledged to “strictly restrict non-urgent and unnecessary cross-border travel,” including by strengthening the issuance of passports to Chinese citizens.

The speed and scale of the spread has also spurred mass restrictions on domestic travel, with all online intercity bus, taxi and car services suspended in medium and high risk areas.

More destinations upgraded to level 4 this week

The Acropolis of Athens, Greece, at sunrise. Greece moved to CDC "Level 4" warning, its highest, Monday.

The Acropolis of Athens, Greece, at sunrise. Greece was moved to the CDC’s “level 4” warning, its highest, on Monday.

Ludovic Marin / AFP / Getty Images

Other popular destinations that were already at Level 4 before Monday’s announcement included Brazil, Maldives, Portugal, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

Highlights of the previous week

“We will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point for several reasons. The more transferable Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world,” Psaki told reporters. “Driven by the Delta variant, cases are increasing here with us, especially among those who are not vaccinated and appear likely to continue in the weeks to come. “

People who have stayed in Brazil, China, the European Schengen Area, Iran, India, Ireland, South Africa and the UK in the past 14 days are denied entry to the States -United.
– Research interest in Mexico: Google searches for this popular destination have been high. Mexico has been – and continues to be – one of the easiest countries to visit.
Its land border with the United States has been closed for over a year now, but air traffic is pouring in from all over the world. You don’t even need to provide a negative PCR test result or quarantine on arrival. Mexico was at “level 3: high” on the CDC advisory list.
CNN’s Sara Dean, Lauren Kent, Maureen O’Hare, Marnie Hunter and Nectar Gan contributed to this week’s article.

Top photo: Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge over the River Thames with the Houses of Parliament in the background in central London on July 30, 2021. (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE’N / AFP via Getty Images)