The CDC Places 22 Nations As Very High Risk For U.S. Citizens
The CDC has updated its travel advisories on Monday with a whopping 22 destinations moved to the ‘Level 4: Very High Risk’ category. In contrast, the CDC only moved 3 nations to the ‘Level 4: Very High Risk’ category last week.
The CDC places destinations on the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category when they hit 500 cases per 100,000 people in the past 28 days. If countries have fewer than 100,000 people, it’s when they record 500 cases cumulatively.
Among the nations to be moved to the CDCs ‘Level 4: Very High Risk’ categories were Australia and Argentina. Both nations have had strict border policies since the pandemic started. However, Omicron has caused cases to skyrocket in both nations.
The 22 New ‘Very High Risk’ Destinations
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- The British Virgin Islands
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Israel
- Panama
- Qatar
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Sint Maarten
- Suriname
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uruguay
The biggest move was the British Virgin Islands. Last week, the CDC designated it as a ‘Level 1: Low Risk’ destination. But this week the CDC has moved it to the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category.
Grenada, a popular Caribbean island, was at ‘Level 2: Moderate Risk’ until last week before moving to the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category this week.
The Situation In Europe
The CDC has placed most of Europe on its ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category since the pandemic began. This week, the CDC has added Albania to its ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’.
The following popular destinations for U.S. tourists are already on the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category:
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Spain
- The United Kingdom
However, last week the CDC also added Canada to the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category.
The CDC states travelers should avoid all non-essential travel to any destination on the ‘Level 4 Very High Risk’ category. If travelers need to visit these destinations, they should ensure they’re fully vaccinated.
However, these are only recommendations; U.S. tourists can still visit any of these nations on vacation, the CDC just highly recommends against it.
The Full List of ‘Level 4: Very High Risk’ Nations
- Albania
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- The Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bonaire
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- The British Virgin Islands
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- The central African Republic
- Chad
- Croatia
- Curaçao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guernsey
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Italy
- Jersey (part of the UK)
- Jordan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Maldives
- Malta
- Martinique
- Mauritius
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Namibia
- The Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Réunion
- Russia
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkey
- Turks and Caicos Islands (U.K.)
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
The New ‘Level 3 High Risk’ Destinations
The CDC added a staggering 22 new destinations to the ‘Level 3 High Risk’ category. These countries have witnessed between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 people in the last 28 days:
- Costa Rica
- Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Cuba
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Jamaica
- Kuwait
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Paraguay
- The Philippines
- Saba
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Sint Eustatius
- Togo
- Uganda
Level 2, Level 1, and Cruising
There were no new additions to the ‘Level 1: Low-Risk’ category this week. However, the CDC has added India to its ‘Level 2 Moderate Risk’ category. Therefore, India has witnessed 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 people in the last 28 days.
The CDC also placed cruise ships on the ‘Level 4: Very High Risk’ category in December 2021. The CDC says U.S. travelers should avoid all cruise travel, regardless of their vaccination status.
Final Thoughts
This is the biggest change the CDC has made for some time. Omicron cases are growing worldwide, but travel restrictions are decreasing in many places as countries understand Omicron’s severity.
Travelers can still book trips to any of these destinations regardless.
