CDC Adds 15 More Countries to ‘High Risk’ Travel List

People queue to enter terminal 2, at Heathrow Airport, London, on Jan. 18, 2021. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named 15 more destinations as “Very High” COVID-19 risk on Monday, including several popular Caribbean island destinations.

The agency said that Americans are recommended against traveling to Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kuwait, Mongolia, Niger, Peru, Romania, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Those destinations were classified as “Level 4,” meaning there are more than 500 COVID-19 cases reported per 100,000 people over the past 28 days.

“Do not travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated,” a CDC advisory said. “Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself from severe disease, slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the number of new variants. CDC encourages you to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose if you are eligible. People who are not fully vaccinated should follow additional recommendations before, during, and after travel.”

The CDC now classifies about 116 countries under its “Level 4” designation, including Canada. The warning does not prohibit travel to anywhere in the world, and it merely serves as a recommendation.

“As the COVID-19 situation around the world changes, CDC is monitoring COVID-19 risk in destinations around the world and making travel recommendations,” the agency also wrote.

Most European countries have remained lodged in the CDC’s “Level 4” designation for weeks, including the United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain, and France.

The CDC on Monday also added 10 countries to its “Level 3” designation, including Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Republic of the Congo, and Senegal.

The new slate of designations come weeks after the agency increased the risk of cruise ship travel to Level 4, saying it should be avoided in the midst of COVID-19 outbreaks on ships. On Monday, the CDC did not revise its guidance.

“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose,” the CDC cautions on its website.

On Jan. 20, the CDC added 22 countries and territories to the Level 4 list, including Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Egypt, Grenada, Guyana, Israel, Panama, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tome and Principe, Sint Maarten, Suriname, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Uruguay.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.