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

(CNN) — The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added 15 destinations to its “very high” risk list for COVID-19, including several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean islands.

The CDC places a destination at level 4, “very high” risk, when there are more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. The agency advises travelers to avoid traveling to Tier 4 countries.

After adding 22 countries in the previous one, 15 locations have been added this week:

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

Caribbean island destinations (Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St. Barthélemy and St. 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 Tier 4.

Other popular Caribbean destinations were also already on Tier 4. These include Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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

Added to Level 4 this week were other top travel spots that the CDC suggests travelers avoid: Peru, where Machu Picchu is located, and the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located.

Last week, 14 out of 15 destinations were at Level 3, which is considered “high” risk for COVID-19.

Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa known for its ancient caravan cities, was in Tier 1, considered “low” risk.

There are now around 120 spots in the Tier 4 roster. beginning of january, there were about 80 destinations, further demonstrating the scope of the Omicron variant.

You can calculate CDC’s risk levels for global destinations in their . can see on Travel recommendation page.

The CDC does not include the United States on its advisory list, but the country was color-coded at level 4 on January 24. travel risk level map from agency.

In its big travel guideThe CDC recommends that you avoid all international travel until you have been fully vaccinated.

position in europe

While most of the Caribbean is moving to Tier 4 this week, almost all of Europe has been for weeks or months. Those places include some of the biggest names on the continent:

– France
– Germany
– Greece
– Iceland
– Ireland
– Italy
– Spain
– United Kingdom

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

Level 3 additions

The Taj Mahal mausoleum is an iconic symbol of India, which has undergone major changes due to Kovid-19. Cases of the Omron variant are on the rise in India and have been moved to CDC Tier 3. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

The Tier 3 category, which applies to destinations that have had 100 to 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, added 10 destinations this Monday:

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

Four 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.

Level 2, 1 and Unknown

Destinations with the designation “Level 2: Moderate COVID-19” have reported 50 to 99 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. That level had just two new additions this Monday.

These are Bangladesh, which was in Tier 1, and the small sultanate of Brunei, which was listed as “unknown” last week.

To be in “Tier 1: Low COVID-19”, a destination must have less than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. No new additions found on Monday.

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

Finally, there are destinations where the CDC assigns “unknown” risks due to a lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote locations or places where wars or riots are going on. There were no additions this week.

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

cruise ships

A Norwegian Gem cruise ship docks at the Port of Miami in 2021.
(Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty)

CDC covers cruise ships in your destination list.

On December 30, the CDC raised the risk of cruise travel to level 4 and said it should be avoided regardless of vaccination status. In the last update, the cruiser remained at Tier 4.

in between, CDC COVID-19 Guidance Has Been Optional For many cruisers.

CDC Extended Conditional Navigation Commands That recently ended, and the agency has transitioned to a voluntary program for foreign-flagged cruise ships operating in US waters.

travel ideas

A CNN medical analyst, emergency physician, and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute, Dr. According to Lena Wayne, transmission rates are important to consider when making travel decisions, but there are other factors to weigh. Public Health School.

“Transmission rates are a guide,” Wayne said. “Another is that precautions are required and followed where you are going and then the third is what you plan to do once you get there.

“Are you planning to visit a lot of attractions and go to closed bars? It’s very different from going to a place where you plan to be at the beach all day and not interacting with anyone else.” . They are very different levels of risk.”

Wayne said vaccination is the most important safety factor for travel, as unvaccinated travelers are more likely to get sick and spread COVID-19 to other people.

He further added that people should wear a high-quality mask (N95, KN95, or KF94) whenever they are in a crowded indoor setting with unknown vaccination status.

Before you travel, it’s also important to consider what you will do if you test positive while away from home, Wayne said. Where will you live and how easy will it be to get tested to return home?