CDC Downgrades COVID Travel Advisory for More than 120 Countries
by Daniel McCarthy
Italy is now at Level 3 on the CDC's COVID travel list. Photo: Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com.
As the COVID-19 health situation continues to improve here in North America, so does it abroad, as vaccinations continue to increase around the world.
With the public health situation improving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week downgraded the travel advisory for more than 120 countries, a move that included moving 33 countries into the lowest risk category.
The move is the first update for the CDC since April 28. According to a statement, the CDC made the changes as “the COVID-19 situation around the world changes.”
Each country is given a Travel Health Notice (THN) level by the CDC based on primary and secondary criteria” for COVID. According to the CDC, “This update gives specific travel advice for vaccinated and unvaccinated people according to the THN level, ensuring THN levels reflect the current global situation and are aligned with guidance for international travel.”
The full list of countries and their warnings can be found here. The CDC is still recommended all travelers get vaccinated, even those traveling to countries that are now at the lowest level in its warning system.
And while not every country has been changed, this week saw the CDC downgrade a significant number of countries that are heavy tourism markets for the U.S. including Iceland, Israel, Italy, and more.
Here is a summary of the changes:
Level 1 (less than 50 new COVID cases in the last 28 days) countries, those with “low” COVID-19 levels, now include Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Fiji, Iceland, Israel, Morocco, South Korea, Turks and Caicos, and more.
Level 2 (50-99 new cases per 100,000 residents) countries, those with moderate COVID-19 levels, now include Bermuda, Curacao, Finland, Kenya, and more.
Level 3 (100 to 500 cases per 100,000 residents) countries, which the CDC still categorizes as having high COVID-19, now include Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, and more.
Level 4 (more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents) countries, the highest level that includes countries that the CDC says to “avoid travel to,” had four new updates—Haiti, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Uzbekistan.
