It looks like the travel industry will see a positive rebound this year as the Center for Disease and Control Prevention places more travel destinations at a lower risk level.
On Monday, April 4, the CDC moved the COVID-19 status of over a dozen of countries down to “high risk” Level 3 from Level 4. At the same time, no new destination was added to its “very high risk” Level 4.
The CDC moved a total of 14 travel destinations down to Level 3. These are:
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Azerbaijan
- Belize
- Canada
- Iran
- Grenada
- Paraguay
- Oman
- Panama
- Saint Lucia
- Suriname
- Libya
Although the U.S. was not included in CDC’s advisory list, it was also moved down to Level 3.
Per the public health agency’s definition for each level, a country under the category of Level 3 “high risk” means that the destination had recorded between 100 and 500 cases per 10,000 residents in the past 28 days. A destination placed at Level 4, on the other hand, had recorded over 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
The agency moved several countries down to “moderate risk” Level 2 on Monday as well. The five destinations are Iraq, Botswana, Eswatini, Dominican Republic, and South Africa. These countries recorded 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, Nepal, Morocco, Ghana, Malawi, and Jamaica were moved to “low risk” Level 1. These destinations recorded less than 50 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
CDC’s move to lower the risk level of most countries offers a positive sentiment towards travel today. However, the public health agency warns to travel overseas only if fully vaccinated.
