(CNN) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three countries to its highest-risk category to travel to on Monday, including favorite travelers. Italy.
In its weekly update on its Covid-19 travel advisory, CDC also added Greenland and the small, tropical East African island nation of Mauritius into the category “Level 4: Covid-19 Very High”.
Typically, CDC places a Level 4 destination when there are more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents registered in the last 28 days.
All three countries are up from Level 3.
Europe rose and Omicron
Italy’s move to Level 4 comes as Europe continues to face another surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Other countries at Level 4
While Europe is being hit hard, it’s not the only region with popular tourist attractions above Level 4. Among others it’s also considered a “very high” risk to tourism. The calendar is:
• Barbados
• Belize
• Cayman Islands
• Jordan
• Seychelles Islands
• Turkey
In total, more than 80 countries have been ranked Level 4 as of December 13.
Occurs at level 3
Tourists wearing masks look from the observatory at Kuala Lumpur Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Vincent Thian / AP
The Level 3 category – which applies to destinations with between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days – saw a new addition on Monday.
Because Malaysia, the move to Level 3 is good news as it has been at Level 4 since June 2021.
Quite a few Caribbean countries popular with Americans looking for a warmer climate are currently in Level 3. They include, among others:
• Aruba
• Dominican Republic
• Granada
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
“This is a very dynamic situation and travelers should consider how important their trip is to them and have a plan B and a plan C,” said Wen, emergency physician and professor of management and policy. medical book at the Milken Institute at George Washington University. School of Public Health.
“They should think through all the scenarios for what could happen. Let’s say they’re going to a country that will now do a mandatory quarantine on arrival. How will they deal with that?” Is it worth going?”
Level 2, Level 1 and the Unknowns
Jamaica, home to colorful coral reefs, has been moved to Level 2 by the CDC.
Shutterstock
Destinations carrying the “Level 2: Moderate Covid-19” designation have seen 50 to 99 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. Three countries moved there on Monday. They are:
• Jamaica
• Philippines
• Republic of the Congo
This is an improvement for all three countries, previously at Level 3.
In the “Level 1: Lowest Level of Covid-19” destination category, less than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents have been recorded in the past 28 days. Only one country entered this level on Monday, the tiny African nation of Equatorial Guinea. It was previously at Level 2.
Finally, there are destinations where the CDC is at risk of “unknown” because of a lack of information. As of December 13, some of those locations include:
• Cambodia
• Canary Island
• Gibraltar
• Nicaragua
• Tanzania
The CDC even warns fully vaccinated travelers against venturing to destinations that don’t have reliable statistics on the current situation of Covid-19.
“Completely vaccinated travelers are less likely to contract and spread Covid-19,” the agency said. However, international travel carries additional risks and even travelers who have been vaccinated Adequate precautions may also increase the risk of contracting and possibly spreading some variants of Covid-19.”
