CDC Adds Six New Destinations to Level 4 Travel List

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week announced the addition of six destinations to its Level 4: Very High travel advisory list.

The destinations were raised to Level 4 because of rising COVID case counts in the countries—the Level 4 designation includes all destinations that have had more than 500 COVID cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.

The new Level 4 countries are Armenia, Austria, Barbados, Croatia, Latvia, and New Caledonia. All have been raised from Level 3 as of Oct. 4 because they reached that number threshold.

While the CDC’s list is simply a recommendation for American travelers, moving those countries to Level 4 raises the level of precautions that the CDC wants travelers to take.

For instance, the CDC is advising travelers who are considering entering Level 4 countries to be fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized by the WHO and to wear a facemask while traveling, social distance during their trip, and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.

If symptoms appear, the CDC is advising travelers to isolate and get tested.

For those who are unvaccinated, the CDC is recommending travelers get tested with a viral test 1-3 days prior to the trip, wear and mask while traveling, avoid crowded, and then get tested again 3-5 days after travel and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.

At the same time, a number of other countries have left Level 4 for Level 3 as their infection rate has dropped over the past month. That includes Argentina, France, Iceland, Portugal, and South Africa. The Level 3 list includes those that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.