There are three Caribbean island additions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “high” risk category for travelers.
Anguilla, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos are now in the “high” risk, or Level 3 category for COVID-19, moving up from Level 2.
Level 4 was the highest risk category. Its now used for destinations where there is a new variant, health care infrastructure collapse, or alarmingly high case counts. Currently, there are no countries on the Level 4 list.
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Level 3 is now the highest category with Level 2 being moderate and Level 1 being low risk.
What qualifies countries to be Level 3?
Countries that have more than 100 cases per 100,000 in a 28-day span are ranked as Level 3.
As of May 31st, there are about 100 countries that are on the Level 3 list. This is almost half of the 235 destinations the CDC is monitoring.
Nearly all Caribbean countries are at Level 3 except for Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, which moved to Level 2 this week.
Notable countries on the Level 3 list:
Brazil
Canada
Costa Rica
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Malaysia
The Netherlands
Portugal
South Korea
Spain
Thailand
United Kingdom
The CDC advises getting a COVID-19 vaccine before heading to a Level 3 destination.
What qualifies countries to be Level 2?
Countries with 50 to 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in a span of 18 days are ranked at Level 2.
Countries that moved to Level 2 this week:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Guyana
Moldova
Poland
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Tunisia
What qualifies countries to be Level 1?
If a country has less than 49 cases per 100,000 residents in a span of 28 days, there are classified as Level 1.
Countries that moved to Level 1 this week:
Kuwait
Mauritania
What it means if a country is “unknown”
If the CDC has classified a destination as being “unknown,” it means there are unable to determine the risk factor because of a lack of information. Remote destinations are usually on the “unknown” list.
The Azores, Cambodia, Tanzania, and French Polynesia are currently on the unknown list.
Related: U.S. Virgin Islands Drops Travel Restrictions For U.S. Travelers
