Travel guidelines and restrictions are still rapidly changing amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added three new destinations to its highest “Level 4” COVID-19 warning list.
The CDC’s updated advisory list now includes Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Brunei in the highest Level 4 category. All three locations were previously designated as Level 3. The State Department has also issued “do not travel” advisories for Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Brunei, in addition to Nicaragua and Lebanon.
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Destinations are given a Level 4 travel warning if there are 500 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents within a 28-day period. The CDC recommends Americans avoid all travel to any locale within the Level 4 category; if travel is absolutely necessary, then the agency advises travelers be fully vaccinated beforehand.
Aside from Jamaica, the CDC also issued new travel warnings for several other Caribbean locales, including raising Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Anguilla to Level 3, which indicates a “High Level” of COVID-19. The Bahamas, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin are also all currently classified as Level 4.
At the moment, the CDC recommends that unvaccinated Americans avoid any international travel. Fully vaccinated people are less likely to contract and spread COVID-19, though the CDC notes that even those who are vaccinated are still at risk of getting the virus, largely due to the rise of variants like the highly contagious Delta variant, and especially in destinations with high rates of transmission.
Anyone who is traveling right now should keep themselves informed on rules and guidelines from government and health organizations, as well as local guidance, which can include masking, social distancing and COVID-19 testing, as well as vaccinations.
