Dom Rep, Guadeloupe, St Barthélemy and St Martin among new additions

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added five Caribbean destinations to its Level-4 highest-risk travel category for COVID-19 yesterday (January 24).

In its weekly revised travel risk advisory, the CDC added 15 countries to Level 4, or “very high” risk showing the continuing grip the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been having on the world.

Last week, 22 destinations were added to Level 4.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. The CDC advises travelers to avoid travel to Level 4 countries.

The new Caribbean additions are Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, St Barthélemy and St Martin. The other Level 4 additions this week are Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Kuwait, Mongolia, Niger, Peru,  Romania, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates

The Caribbean island destinations represented one third of the new entries on this week’s revised travel risk advisory. Haiti, which is located on the island of Hispaniola alongside the Dominican Republic, was already at Level 4.

In addition French St Martin also shares an island with Dutch St Maarten, which was already at Level 4. Other popular Caribbean destinations were also already at Level 4.

They include Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, The British Virgin Islands, Curaçao and Turks and Caicos, among others.

Two mainland countries with Caribbean coastlines – Costa Rica in Central America and Colombia in South America  are on Level 4 as well. Other notable travel hot spots added to Level 4 this week that the CDC suggests travelers avoid include Peru, home to Machu Picchu, and the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located.

Last week, 14 of the 15 now highest risk destinations were at Level 3, which is considered “high” risk for COVID-19. Niger, a landlocked nation in West Africa best known for its ancient caravan cities, had been at Level 1, which is considered “low” risk.

The Level 4 list now contains almost 120 places. In early January, there were around 80 destinations, further demonstrating the reach of the Omicron variant.

The CDC does not include the United States in its list of advisories, but it was color-coded at Level 4 on January 24 on the agency’s map of travel risk levels. In its broader travel guidance, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.