The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has updated its weekly list of high-risk countries. Thirteen countries have moved up to the very high-risk, level 4 countries. The list of country designations continues to be a moving target with some countries moving up the list and some moving down to lower categories.
Retaliation From The European Union?
The European Union (EU) has recommended that Americans should be banned from nonessential travel to its member states after a rise in Covid-19 cases in the United States.
Europe began to reopen tourism last May as businesses tried to recoup the losses from last year. The European Council, the EU’s governing body, recommended in June that the bloc lift restrictions on nonessential travel from 14 countries, including the United States.
The United States failed to reciprocate with the same travel priveledges for those coming from the European Union. There have been some hard feelings in the EU for a lack of reciprocity. The European Union as a body has recommended blocking non-essential travel from the United States, it is up to each individual member country to make that decision.
Spain is now requiring tourists entering Spain to be fully vaccinated. The new rule states that visitors from the United States on “nonessential travel,” such as tourism, must show “a vaccination certificate that the (Spanish) Ministry of Health recognizes as valid.”
The Netherlands started requiring that US visitors be fully vaccinated, and it still imposes a quarantine.
Sweden has decided not to allow U. S. tourists to visit whether they are vaccinated or not.
France has now bumped the United States and Israel from the country’s “green” list, down to “orange,” effectively prohibiting nonessential travel to France for unvaccinated visitors.
Moving Up To Level 4
Destinations that fall into the “Covid-19 very high” Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC parameters. The Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
These countries have moved up the list to level 4 from previously lower levels. The main reason this has happened is that the CDC has received more complete data on the actual conditions in those countries.
Here are the newest countries to move to level 4. Many of the new level 4 countries are popular vacation destinations. As a reminder, Brazil has held the top spot for the past three months.
- The Bahamas
- Costa Rica
- France
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Malaysia
- Portugal
- South Africa
- Spain
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
These Countries Have Moved To Level 3
Five countries on the list this week have either improved or were downgraded. Many of the new level 3 countries are in Africa or the Caribbean. They are:
- Antigua and Barbuda – previously level 2
- Benin – previously level 1
- Ghana – previously level 2
- Grenada – previously level 1
- Guinea-Bissau – previously level 4
- Malta – previously level 4
- The Netherlands – previously level 4
- Turks and Caicos Islands – previously level 2
General Guidance
CDC guidance for Level 3 and Level 4 destinations urges unvaccinated travelers to avoid nonessential travel to those locations. The CDC also recommends avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.
The Full List And Travel Advisories
The full list along with travel advisories from the CDC can be found here. This list changes weekly so it might be a site to add to your travel bookmarks.
All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Final Thoughts
The list of countries that the CDC maintains continues to change every week as more data is known. Some countries have improved and some have declined. Some countries including the United States improve and then fall into a state of decline. This CDC list and advisories are posted to help you make an educated decision on whether to travel or not.
