CDC updates its travel warning system. Here’s what to know about the changes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is changing the way it determines which countries have the highest risk of COVID-19 as travelers prepare for their next trips abroad.
The public health agency updated its Travel Health Notices system on April 18, announcing that Level 4, or the “Do Not Travel” risk category, will no longer be based solely on coronavirus incidence and case counts.
Instead, Level 4 “will be reserved for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern, and healthcare infrastructure collapse,” according to the CDC’s website.
No countries currently fall into this newly redefined category, as of April 18. The 89 destinations that were previously in the Level 4 risk category are now considered Level 3.
Levels 3, 2 and 1 — which indicate “high,” “moderate” and “low” COVID-19 risk — will generally still be determined by virus incidence and case counts over a 28-day period, the agency said.
The four-tier system categorizes international destinations and is used to alert travelers to health and safety risks, including COVID-19, across the globe. Changes to the system were announced the same day a federal judge struck down face mask requirements for airplanes, trains and other public transportation.
The CDC had previously extended the mask mandate through at least May 3 to evaluate ongoing risks surrounding rising cases of the B.A2 coronavirus subvariant, McClatchy News reported.
For its Travel Health Notices system, the CDC “reviews case data reported by the World Health Organization” to determine a country’s COVID-19 risk, according to the agency’s website. Destinations at a “Level 3: high risk,” for example, have reported more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in 28 days.
The U.S. was marked in the Level 3 risk category as of April 18, according to a CDC travel map.
For the full list of “high risk” destinations, visit the CDC’s website here.
This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 10:43 AM with the headline "CDC updates its travel warning system. Here’s what to know about the changes."