CDC Adds Caribbean Islands and Eastern European Countries to “Very High” Covid Risk Category

September 13, 2021

High Covid Risk Countries, CDC Adds Nine More to the List

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday warned against travel to several island destinations from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean and some Eastern European countries.

A total of 9 destinations were moved to the Level 4 list on September 13:

Afghanistan
Albania
Belize
Grenada
Lithuania
Mauritius
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Serbia
Slovenia

The CDC says that you should void travel to Level 4 destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel. There are now 85 destinations in the top category.

Destinations that fall into the “Level 4: COVID-19 Very High” category have more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC’s criteria.

The CDC also eased its rating for Brazil from “Level 4: Very High” to “Level 3: High,” which urges unvaccinated Americans to avoid travel to those destinations. The Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents.

The CDC says that fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some COVID-19 variants. The COVID-19 situation, including the spread of new or concerning variants, differs from country to country. So the CDC suggests that all travelers pay close attention to the conditions at their destination before traveling.

Last Monday the United States was also removed from the European Union’s “safe list” for Covid-19. Several European countries have now added new restrictions.