The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved five Caribbean island destinations into its highest-risk travel category for Covid-19 on Monday.
In total, the CDC moved 15 places to Level 4, or “very high” risk, showing the continuing grip the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has on the world right now. Last week, 22 destinations were added to Level 4.
The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. The CDC advises travelers to avoid travel to Level 4 countries.
The 15 places added this week are:
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Dominican Republic
• Fiji
• Guadeloupe
• Jamaica
• Kuwait
• Mongolia
• Niger
• Peru
• Romania
• Saint Barthélemy
• Saint Martin
• Tunisia
• United Arab Emirates
The Caribbean island destinations — the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin — represented one third of the new entries this week. Haiti, which is located on the island of Hispaniola alongside the Dominican Republic, was already at Level 4. And French Saint Martin also shares an island with Dutch Sint Maarten, which was already at Level 4.
Other popular Caribbean destinations were also already at Level 4. They include Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Curaçao and Turks and Caicos, among others.
Two mainland countries with Caribbean coastlines — Costa Rica in Central America and Colombia in South America — are on Level 4 as well.
Other notable travel hot spots added to Level 4 this week that the CDC suggests travelers avoid: Peru, home to Machu Picchu, and the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located.
Last week, 14 of the 15 destinations were on Level 3, which is considered “high” risk for Covid-19.
Niger, a landlocked nation in West Africa best known for its ancient caravan cities, had been at Level 1, considered “low” risk.
The Level 4 list now contains almost 120 places. In early January, there were around 80 destinations, further demonstrating the reach of the Omicron variant.
You can view the CDC’s risk levels for global destinations on its travel recommendations page.
The CDC does not include the United States in its list of advisories, but it was color-coded at Level 4 on January 24 on the agency’s map of travel risk levels.
In its broader travel guidance, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.
Source: CNN
