Two of Europe’s top destinations move into CDC’s highest travel risk category

(CNN) – Germany and Denmark joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Very High” Risk Destination List (CDC), as the winter wave of covid-19 it spans much of Europe.
Germany is fighting a fourth wave and last week recorded a record increase in cases in one day.

Some of the lovely Christmas markets that usually draw crowds in Germany at this time of year have already been canceled, including the Munich’s popular Christmas market.

After lifting national COVID-19 restrictions in September, Denmark is once again battling a spike in cases and determining whether to re-implement the restrictions. In Copenhagen, the famous Tivoli Gardens opened their Christmas season on Friday.

Destinations that fall into the CDC’s “very high covid-19” level 4 category means they have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.

The CDC recommends that people avoid traveling to places designated with a “level 4” advisory. Anyone who has to travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.

To recap, these two destinations were upgraded to Tier 4 on November 22:

Previously, the two destinations were in the “high covid-19” risk level 3 category. By moving to level 4, they join the ranks of other favorite travel destinations in Europe and elsewhere. Among them are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Costa Rica
• Czech Republic
• Netherlands
• Singapore
• Turkey

In total, some 75 destinations are currently at Tier 4. The UK and the British Virgin Islands are at Tier 4 as of July 19.

New destinations on level 3

The level 3 category, which refers to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days, had five updates this week, with a large presence of Caribbean countries.

These five destinations were upgraded to Tier 3 on November 22:

• Aruba
• Curacao
• Guadeloupe
• Israel
• US Virgin Islands

The change was actually good news for all five destinations, which used to be at level 4.

You can check the CDC risk levels for world destinations in their travel recommendations page.

According to CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, there are other factors travelers should be aware of in addition to the Covid-19 incidence rates featured prominently in CDC travel advisories.

“Transmission rates are a benchmark. Another is what precautions are required and followed where you go, and the third is what you plan to do once you are there,” said Wen, an emergency and medical doctor. Professor of Health Policy and Management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

“Do you plan to visit a lot of attractions and go to closed bars? That is very different from going to a place where you plan to lie on the beach all day and not interact with anyone else,” said Wen, who is also the author of a new book, “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health”.

The most important thing is that travelers get vaccinated, he said.

Level 2 update

The CDC lowered the hazard level for three African countries: Benin, Equatorial Guinea, and Ethiopia.

The situation in the fourth Tier 2 country, New Zealand, has worsened. The country, which rose from level 1, has recently moved away from its “zero covid” strategy, now focusing on vaccination efforts and living with the virus.

These destinations were upgraded to Tier 2 on November 22:

• Benin
• Equatorial Guinea
• Ethiopia
• New Zealand

Destinations that carry the designation “level 2: moderate covid-19” have registered between 50 and 99 cases of covid-19 per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.

Keep in mind that the CDC list is updated weekly, and that the situation in any country can change for better or for worse from week to week.

Level 1 and no qualifications

On the other hand, a dozen countries moved to the “low” risk category of level 1. The news from Africa was especially good. African countries accounted for three-quarters of the new entries.

In “level 1: low covid-19” destinations, fewer than 50 new cases have been registered for every 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.

The 12 destinations that moved to level 1 on November 22 are:

• Bangladesh
• United Arab Emirates
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Kosovo
• Morocco
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Swaziland
• Togo
• Uganda
• Zimbabwe

Several of them, such as Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, are among the main tourist attractions in Africa.

Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an “unknown” risk due to lack of information. As of November 22, that list included Burundi, Madagascar, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Macao.

In its broader travel guide, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until fully vaccinated.

“Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to contract and spread COVID-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers may be at increased risk of contracting and possibly spreading some variants of COVID-19.” the agency said.