CDC adds Latin American countries to list of high-risk destinations

(CNN) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added 15 destinations to its “very high” risk list for covid-19, including several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4, a “very high” risk, when there have been more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days. The agency advises travelers to avoid traveling to Category 4 countries.

15 places added this week, after the previous added 22 countries, are:

– Colombia
– Costa Rica
– Dominican Republic
– Fiji
– Guadalupe
– Jamaica
– Kuwait
– Mongolia
– Niger
– Peru
– Romania
– San Bartolome
– San Martin
– Tunisia
– The United Arab Emirates

Caribbean island destinations (Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin) accounted for a third of new arrivals this week. Haiti, which is located on the island of Hispaniola next to the Dominican Republic, was already at level 4.

Other popular Caribbean destinations were already at level 4. They include Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Two mainland countries with Caribbean coasts, Costa Rica in Central America and Colombia in South America, are also at Level 4.

Level 4 was added this week, with other top travel places the CDC suggests travelers should avoid: Peru, where Machu Picchu is located, and the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is.

Last week, 14 of 15 destinations were at level 3, which is considered an “high” risk for covid-19.

Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa famous for its ancient caravan towns, was at level 1, considered low risk.

The Level 4 roster now includes nearly 120 locations. early january, there were about 80 destinations, which indicates an omicron variable range.

You can view CDC risk levels for global destinations on their websites Travel recommendations page.

The CDC does not include the United States on its advisory list, but the country is color-coded to Level 4 on Jan. Travel risk level map from the agency.

in that The largest travel guideThe CDC recommends avoiding international travel until you have been fully vaccinated.

The situation in Europe

While most of the Caribbean will move to Level 4 this week, nearly all of Europe has been there for weeks or months. Those places include some of the biggest names on the continent:

– France
– Germany
– Greece
– Iceland
– Ireland
– Italia
– Spain
– United kingdom

Romania is the only new European addition to Level 4 this week.

Additions to Level 3

The Taj Mahal is the iconic symbol of India, which has undergone major changes due to COVID-19. Cases of the omicron variant are increasing in India and it has been transferred to CDC Tier 3. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

Tier 3, which applies to destinations with between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days, added 10 destinations on Monday:

– Djibouti
– Equatorial Guinea
– Guatemala
– India
– Japan
– Kosovo
– Kyrgyzstan
– Financial
– Republic of the Congo
– Senegal

Four of the destinations – Equatorial Guinea in Central Africa, Japan, Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, and Senegal in West Africa – were at “low” risk level 1.

The remaining six were at level 2.

Levels 2, 1 and Unknown

Destinations rated “Level 2: Moderate Covid-19” have reported 50 to 99 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days. This level had just two new additions on Monday.

These are Bangladesh, which was at level 1, and the tiny sultanate of Brunei, which was listed as “unknown” last week.

To be at ‘Level 1: Low Covid-19’, a destination must have had fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days. No new additions were made on Monday.

China, which will host the Winter Olympics in February, has been in Tier 1 since May 2021. It is one of dozens of destinations currently on Tier 1.

Finally, there are destinations that the CDC puts at “unknown” risk due to a lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote places or places with constant wars or riots. There were no additions this week.

Popular destinations at “unknown” risk include Cambodia, French Polynesia and Tanzania. The CDC advises against travel to these places specifically because the risks are unknown.

cruise ships

A Norwegian gem cruise ship docked in the Port of Miami in 2021.
(Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty)

the CDC includes cruise ships in your destination list.

On December 30, the CDC raised the risk of sea travel to level 4 and said it should be avoided, regardless of vaccination status. The cruisers remained at level 4 in the last update.

Meanwhile, the CDC covid-19 guidelines are now optional for many cruisers.

the CDC Extended Conditional Navigation Order It recently expired, and the agency has moved into a volunteer program for foreign-flagged cruise ships operating in American waters.

Travel Considerations

Transmission rates are important when making travel decisions, but there are other factors to weigh as well, according to Dr. Lena Wynne, a CNN medical analyst and emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at George Washington University’s Milken Institute. College of Public Health.

“Transfer rates are the proof,” Wen said. “The other is what precautions are required and to be followed where you are going, and the third is what you plan to do once you get there.

“Do you plan on visiting a lot of attractions and going to closed bars? This is very different from going somewhere where you plan to stay on the beach all day and not interact with anyone else. Those are very different levels of risk.”

Wen said vaccination is the most important safety factor for travel, as unvaccinated travelers are more likely to get sick and pass COVID-19 to others.

He also said that people should wear a high-quality mask (N95, KN95 or KF94) when they are in crowded indoor spaces with an unknown vaccination status.

It’s also important to think about what you’ll do if you end up testing positive away from home, Wayne said. Where will you stay and how easy is it to take the test back home?