The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday added six new countries to its list of destinations where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is “very high.”
In an updated travel notice, the federal health agency moved Armenia, Austria, Barbados, Croatia, Latvia, and New Caledonia on Oct. 4 to its “Level 4: COVID-19 Very High” category.
The CDC recommends avoiding travel to locations on this list. Those who wish to travel to a country considered by the agency as “high risk” should be fully vaccinated beforehand, the agency advises.
More than 80 destinations are now listed in the CDC’s “Level 4: COVID-19 Very High” category.
COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Countries with more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days qualify for the “very high” travel risk category, according to the CDC’s parameters.
The agency lowers the travel risk designation when the case count in a given country falls below a specified threshold and remains at that level for 28 consecutive days, though the CDC notes it may lower the level before that time if vaccination coverage rates and vaccine performance warrant such a move.
Level 3 Category
In addition, the CDC also moved eight destinations on Monday into the lower risk Level 3 category from Level 4.
The countries that are now considered by the agency at a lower risk include Argentina, France, Iceland, Lesotho, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal, and South Africa. France, a popular European tourist destination, had been at the highest level since August.
The Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to the CDC.
The agency said that travelers should make sure they are fully vaccinated before moving to countries on its Level 3 list and that unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to this destination.
The Epoch Times contributed to this report.