Popular Caribbean Destination Upgraded To ‘High’ Risk For American Travelers As COVID Cases Rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has upgraded one location to its Level 3 “high” risk category for travel as COVID cases rise in the Caribbean hotspot of the British Virgin Islands.

Previously listed in the CDC’s Level 2 “moderate” risk category, the British Virgin Islands has seen its COVID situation worsen in recent days, and now the Caribbean destination is listed at the highest warning level for American travelers.

The CDC overhauled its advisories for travelers in recent weeks, no longer listing any nations in its Level 4 “very high” risk category’; instead, saving the category for special circumstances.

Now Level 3 is the highest designation a nation can have, with about 110 locations listed in the category, including France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the U.K., Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea.

A Level 3 nation is determined by the CDC when it has more than 100 COVID cases per 100,000 residents reported in the past 28 days.

The CDC is tracking about 235 locations in total, warning travelers to make sure they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling to a Level 3 nation, but adding that “even if you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, you may still be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19.”

Also seeing updates on Monday was the CDC’s Level 2 “moderate” category, which had seven additions – the Bahamas, Fiji, Jordan, Mongolia, Namibia, Paraguay, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Bahamas, Namibia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were upgraded to Level 2 from Level 1 “low” risk as their COVID situations worsened, while Fiji, Jordan, and Mongolia all saw improvements in the number of cases of the virus, moving from Level 3.

Paraguay was previously reported in the CDC’s “unknown” category, where reliable information about its COVID situation was unknown.

A Level 2 destination has between 50 and 100 COVID cases per 100,000 residents reported in the past 28 days. Nearly 25 locations are listed in the Level 2 category.

The CDC also made changes to its Level 1 “low” risk category, updating the nations of Bolivia and Kosovo.

Both moves were improvements as Bolivia dropped from Level 2 and Kosovo dropped from Level 3.

A Level 1 destination has 49 or fewer COVID cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days, with more than 50 locations currently listed in the category.

Finally, only one addition was made to the CDC’s “unknown” category on Monday with Angola.

The CDC warns against traveling to a nation with an “unknown” travel status as the risks of contracting COVID-19 are simply unknown. These locations may be suffering from warfare or unrest and have unreliable information about their virus situation.