- Aruba
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- British Virgin Islands
- Turks and Caicos
- Saint Lucia
- Sint Maarten
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Grenada
The CDC now has over 100 countries and territories at Level 4 as a result of the continuing surge caused by the omicron strain of the coronavirus, including popular European nations like the U.K., Italy and Spain. The agency typically assigns countries the Level 4 categorization when more than 500 positive cases per 100,000 residents are reported in the previous 28 days. According to the CDC website, if you have to travel to a Level 4 country, you should be fully vaccinated to protect yourself.
Another 20 countries were bumped to Level 3: High Risk. They include:
- Jamaica
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Hong Kong
- China
- Uganda
- Kuwait
- The Philippines
The CDC recommends that unvaccinated Americans avoid nonessential travel to destinations categorized as Level 3.
Related: The difference between the State Dept. and CDC travel warnings
The U.S. State Department also updated its own travel warnings this week, adding 25 countries to "Level 4: Do Not Travel," its highest risk classification. The State Department's advisories typically mirror those of the CDC, and most of the countries the CDC added to its highest-risk category also received a new warning.
But the State Dept. warnings take other factors into account when assessing the risk involved with traveling to a nation or territory. These factors include civil unrest, natural disasters, crime, terrorism, and currently, COVID-19. That is why Jamaica is at "Level 4: Do Not Travel" on the State Department's advisory list, but it's Level 3 for the CDC.
The State Dept. identifies risk factors in each country's advisory with initials in the top right-hand corner that correspond to the chart below:
C=Crime
T=Terrorism
U=Civil unrest
H=Health risks, including COVID-19
N=Natural disaster
E =Time-limited event
O =Other potential risks not covered by previous risk indicators
K= Kidnapping/hostage-taking
The latest advisory for the Bahamas below includes a C for crime, and H for health risks.
Related: Confused by the State Dept. advisories? Here's what they mean
