CDC Keeps Over 125 Destinations 'High' Risk For American Travelers As COVID Remains Global Threat

With over 125 locations currently listed in its Level 3 "high" risk category for travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added another destination to the list on Monday as COVID cases continue to rise in many parts of the world.

Upgraded to the "high" risk category was the nation of Azerbaijan, which was designated Level 3 due to having more than 100 COVID cases per 100,000 residents reported in the past 28 days.

The CDC is currently monitoring about 235 places for the spread of COVID-19, with Level 3 deemed its highest risk category to date. Level 4 "very high" risk has been reserved for extreme COVID cases, a new emerging variant, or the complete collapse of a nation's healthcare system.

There are currently no places listed in the Level 4 category. But the majority of the places monitored by the agency now fall in the Level 3 "high" risk category, including most of Europe and the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

The CDC advises American travelers to be up to date with all their COVID shots before traveling to a Level 3 destination but warns 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."

The next level down for the CDC is its Level 2 "moderate" risk category, which saw two additions on Monday with Morocco and Saba. The move was good news for Morocco which was previously listed in the Level 3 category, while the Caribbean island of Saba moved up from Level 1 "low" risk as its COVID situation worsened.

A Level 2 "moderate" risk nation has between 50 to 100 COVID cases per 100,000 residents reported in the past 28 days.

Twenty locations are currently listed in the CDC's Level 2 category, including India, South Africa, Cuba, and Indonesia.

The CDC didn't make any changes to its Level 1 "low" risk category – a signal that COVID cases are not improving in many parts of the world. To be placed in the Level 1 category, a destination needs to have 49 or fewer COVID cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days.

There are currently about 20 locations in the Level 1 "low" risk category, including Egypt, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, China, and Nigeria.

Lastly, the CDC reserves a category for locations that have unreliable information about their COVID situations. This "unknown" category had no movement this week but is typically used for nations that are remote or have ongoing warfare or unrest.

There are about 70 places listed in the "unknown" category, including Hungary, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Haiti, the Maldives, and Macau.

The CDC warns against traveling to nations listed in the "unknown" category because the risks of contracting COVID-19 are simply unknown.