Italy and 2 other nations now at ‘very high’ travel risk for Covid-19, CDC warns – CNN

(CNN) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three nations to its highest-risk category for travel on Monday, including tourist favorite Italy.

In its weekly update of Covid-19 travel advisories, the CDC also added giant, frigid Greenland and the tiny, tropical East African island nation of Mauritius to its "Level 4: Covid-19 Very High" category.

Typically, the CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days.

All three nations moved up from Level 3.

European surge and Omicron

Italy's move to Level 4 comes as Europe continue to grapple with another surge in Covid-19 cases.

Other nations on Level 4

While Europe is being hard hit, it isn't the only region with popular tourist destinations on Level 4. Among the other places also considered at "very high" risk for travel are:

Barbados Belize Cayman Islands Jordan Seychelles Islands Turkey

In all, more than 80 countries were rated Level 4 as of December 13.

Happening on Level 3

Tourists wearing face masks view from an observation deck at the Kuala Lumpur Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Vincent Thian/AP

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 -- just saw one new addition on Monday.

For Malaysia, the move to Level 3 was good news as it had been residing at Level 4 since June 2021.

Quite a few Caribbean nations popular with Americans seeking warmer climes are currently on Level 3. They include, among others:

Aruba Dominican Republic Granada Saint Kitts and Nevis

"This is a very dynamic situation, and travelers should consider how important the trip is to them and have a plan B and a plan C," said Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

"They should think through all the scenarios for what could happen. Let's say that they end up in a country that is now going to implement a mandatory quarantine on arrival. How will they cope with that? Is it worth going?"

Level 2, Level 1 and unknowns

Jamaica, homes to colorful corals reefs, has been moved to Level 2 by the CDC.

Shutterstock

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. Three nations moved there Monday. They are:

Jamaica Philippines Republic of Congo

This was an improvement for all three nations, which had previously been at Level 3.

In the category of "Level 1: Covid-19 Low" destinations, fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents have been logged over the past 28 days. Only one new nation joined this level on Monday, that of the small African nation of Equatorial Guinea. It previously had been on Level 2.

Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an "unknown" risk because of a lack of information. As of December 13, some of those places included:

Cambodia Canary Islands Gibraltar Nicaragua Tanzania

The CDC cautions even fully vaccinated travelers about venturing to destinations with no reliable statistics about the current Covid-19 situation.

"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 agency said.

CNN's Marnie Hunter and Rob Picheta contributed to this report.

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Italy and 2 other nations now at 'very high' travel risk for Covid-19, CDC warns - CNN