(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not add any new destinations to its list of countries and territories at “high” risk for Covid-19 on Monday.
However, of the approximately 235 locations monitored by the CDC, nearly 130 are still designated as Level 3 “high” risk locations.
That’s more than half of all the locations listed on the CDC’s site, and some of these destinations are among the most popular with tourists around the world.
Only the sparsely populated desert country of Namibia dropped out of Level 3 this week, falling to a lower risk rating.
This designation applies to locations with more than 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 28 days. Levels 2 and 1 are considered ‘medium’ and ‘low’ risk respectively.
Currently, relatively few places in the world are at level 2 or 1.
Level 4 used to be the highest risk category, but is now reserved only for special circumstances such as very high case numbers, emergence of new variants of concern, or collapse of healthcare infrastructure. . In the new system, no destinations have ever been placed on level 4.
“Unknown” is where the CDC has not received enough data to make an assessment.
Level 3 details
Amsterdam’s bridges and canals are a tourist favorite to Holland and, like much of Europe, stays on Level 3.
Yasonya/Adobe Stock
Much of Europe has been stubbornly stuck at Level 3 for months as the summer travel season begins to end. The popular destinations in Europe that remain at Level 3 as of August 22 are:
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Spain
• England
These aren’t the only high-profile locations that qualify for Level 3. Many other destinations around the world fall into the “high” risk category, including:
• Brazil
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Korea
• Thailand
• turkey
level 2
A beautiful sunset highlights the dunes of the Namib Desert in Sossusvlei, Namibia. The South West African country was downgraded to Level 2 this week.
Iuliia Sokolovska/Adobe Stock
Destinations designated as ‘Level 2: Moderate Covid-19’ reported between 50 and 100 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 28 days.
CDC added two more destinations to Level 2 on Monday.
• Cuba
• Namibia
The move was bad news for Cuba, who were in Level 1. Namibia has been downgraded from Level 3.
Only 19 locations are listed at Level 2 this week. Places visited by more visitors in this category include India, Kenya, and South Africa.
level 1
To be listed as “Level 1: Covid-19 Low”, a destination must have had no more than 49 new cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days. Only one new location was added to the category on August 22nd. Saudi Arabiawas level 2.
Only 22 locations fell into the low risk category this week. This week, some of the more popular destinations for global travelers in the “low” risk category included Egypt and Tanzania.
do not know
Finally, there are destinations that the CDC deemed at “unknown” risk due to lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote places, or places where war or unrest is going on.
One new destination was added this week. a small country in West Africa, Beninwas level 1.
CDC recommends avoiding travel to these locations simply because the risks are unknown.Other destinations in this category that typically attract more tourist attention Includes Hungary, Maldives and Vietnam.
There were about 70 locations listed as “unknown” this week, accounting for almost a third of all monitored locations.
Health professionals discuss risk levels
According to CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, the infection rate is just “one guideline” for calculating a traveler’s personal risk.
Wen, an emergency physician and professor, said we’re “moving into a pandemic phase where people have to make their own decisions based on their medical situation and risk tolerance for contracting Covid-19.” There is.” PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.
According to Wen, there are other factors to consider besides transmission speed.
“The other is the precautions required where you’re going, and the third is what you plan to do once you get there,” she said.
“Are you planning to visit a lot of attractions and go to an indoor bar? There are different levels of risk.”
Wen said vaccination is the most important safety factor for travel because unvaccinated travelers are more likely to get sick and pass Covid-19 to others.
It’s also important to consider what to do if you test positive while on the road.
Above: The seafront of Buzios, a resort town not far from Rio de Janeiro, is dotted with moored boats. (Ekaterina Belova/Adobe Stock)
Source: www.cnn.com
