The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA has added Greece, Ireland, U.S. Virgin Islands, and St. Barts to the highest warning COVID-19 level of destinations worldwide.
In all, 16 destinations were added to its highest “Level 4: Very High” advisory level. The countries and territories with the new designation include Andorra, Curaçao, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Iran, Ireland, Isle of Man, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Libya, Malta, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The CDC announcement reads, in part:
“International travel poses additional risks and even fully vaccinated travelers are at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading new COVID-19 variants.”
These destinations are those classified as “Level 4”, or places where there are 500 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. The most recent report from Greek officials (EODY) lists 2.856 new cases in the past 24 hours. 16 more people have died as a result of complications due to COVID-19, according to the latest. As for incidence levels, Mykonos island is back up to 296 cases per 100,000 people, and Paros island is at 154 per 100,000.
The CDC also advises American nationals who plan on traveling to these countries, in spite of the travel advisory, to review the CDC’s specific recommendations for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.