CDC keeps UK at top of ‘do not travel’ list for 24th week running and adds Caribbean island as Omicron spreads

UK has been on the CDC’s Level 4 category of countries with a very high Covid risk since 19 July

Aruba is the only country added by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the greatest-risk category of its updated 2022 travel advisory while the UK has remained in this category for 24 weeks.

The list, updated for the first time this year on 4 January, divides countries based on Covid-19 levels and the risk of travel.

The Caribbean country is the only addition to the Level 4 category, which includes countries where more than 500 Covid cases have been reported per 100,000 people in the last 28 days.

More than 80 countries are currently in this category.

US citizens have been advised by the CDC to avoid travel to these destinations.

With Europe reporting a spike in Covid cases in recent weeks with the spread of Omicron variant, the Level 4 category has continued to include major tourist destinations from the continent.

It includes France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

The UK has been on this category since 19 July, reported CNN.

Only a few countries have been moved down the list to the Level 3 category that includes countries with 100-500 cases per 100,000 people.

Eight new countries were added to Level 3. These included Azerbaijan, Moldova, Mongolia and Romania, which were moved down from Level 4.

The Bahamas and Sint Maarten moved up the list to Level 3 from Level 2. Other entrants to Level 3 were Kenya and Suriname, which moved up from the Level 1 and “Unknown” categories respectively.

Level 2 includes countries that have reported between 50 and 99 Covid cases per 100,000 people.

This category saw four new additions including Costa Rica, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia.

Level 1 includes countries where Covid cases are fewer than 50. But passengers planning travel have been asked to ensure that they are fully vaccinated.

Philippines and Niger were the only new additions to this category.

The “unknown” category means the CDC does not have enough data to slot a country into a category.

In addition to these changes, the CDC had last week also updated cruise travels to Level 4 in a move that “reflects the increases in cases onboard cruise ships since the identification of the Omicron variant,” the CDC website said.

Citizens have been urged to avoid cruise travel irrespective of their vaccination status.