CDC’s highest travel risk level is jam-packed with nearly 135 destinations
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added even more destinations on Feb. 7 to its ever-growing list of places considered to be a “very high” travel risk for Covid-19.
Level 4, the CDC’s highest, has now swelled to almost 135 places, illustrating the rapid surge of the Omicron variant around the world. In early January, there were around 80 destinations listed there. Level 4 now has more destinations than all the other CDC categories combined.
Joining the Level 4 ranks this week are two island nations on opposite sides of the world: Japan in Asia and Cuba, the largest and most populous island in the Caribbean.
The other new Level 4 nations are also scattered around various parts of the globe.
Armenia is in the mountainous Caucasus region on the far reaches of eastern Europe. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the heart of Central Africa while Libya is on the Mediterranean coast of northern Africa. Oman is on the Arabian Peninsula, while Israel is on the Mediterranean shores in the Middle East.
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, this week’s additions to Level 4 are:
- Armenia
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Israel
- Japan
- Libya
- Oman
Last week, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was at “moderate” Level 2. Armenia, Cuba, Japan, Libya and Oman had been at Level 3, in the “high” risk category.
Israel was added to Level 4 on January 18 along with 21 other destinations and remained there in subsequent updates. However, the CDC listed Israel as an updated entry in Level 4 on Monday because the agency has added information on Gaza and the West Bank. The CDC does not have separate entries in its listing for those.
Other significant places at Level 4
The CDC does not include the United States in its list of advisories, but it was color-coded at Level 4 on February 7 on the agency’s map of travel risk levels.
Last week, Mexico and Brazil were the most notable of a dozen places added to Level 4.
Other tourist favorites parked on Level 4 even longer include Australia, Canada, France, Peru, Singapore and Spain. The United Kingdom has been there since July 2021.
You can view the CDC’s risk levels for any global destination on its travel recommendations page.
In its broader travel guidance, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.
Level 3
The Level 3 category — which applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days — saw three additions on Monday. They were:
- Bangladesh
- Montserrat
- South Africa
South Africa, where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was first reported, dropped from Level 4, providing a ray of hope for the coming weeks and months that other places will follow suit.
However, the move to Level 3 meant worsening conditions in populous Bangladesh in South Asia and Montserrat, a small British island in the Caribbean. Both had been at Level 2.
Level 2, 1 and unknown
Destinations carrying the “Level 2: Covid-19 Moderate” designation have seen 50 to 99 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. This level saw only one addition on Monday: Pakistan. It previously had been at Level 1.
Currently, there are just five destinations at Level 2, including New Zealand, which has some of the world’s tightest travel restrictions.
To be in “Level 1: Covid-19 Low,” a destination must have fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days.
No destinations were moved to Level 1 on Monday. There are currently only seven destinations in the category. That includes China, which is hosting the Winter Olympic Games.
Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an “unknown” risk because of a lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote places or places with ongoing warfare or unrest. There were no additions this week.
Tanzania, Cambodia and the Canary Islands are among the more-visited locations currently listed in the unknown category. The CDC advises against travel to these places precisely because the risks are unknown.