(Laura Morosoli/AFP/Getty Images)' loading="" class="lazyload size-article_feature" data-sizes="auto" data-src="" src="https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/hypatia-h_01d6396e3e770551933e53b16371bb57-h_462f9fa14298af5d1da8e96c2b31a273.jpg?w=525"/>
Mauritius dropped all the way down to “excessive” danger Stage 3 on Monday.
(Laura Morosoli/AFP/Getty Photos)
Editor’s notice: Join Unlocking the World, CNN Journey’s weekly publication. Get information about locations opening and shutting, inspiration for future adventures, plus the newest in aviation, foods and drinks, the place to remain and different journey developments.
The US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention designated a half dozen new locations “very excessive” danger for journey on Monday, together with South Korea and French Polynesia.
The six new additions to the “very excessive” danger Stage 4 class are a far-flung bunch: Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea; Belarus, situated in a presently very tense spot bordering Russia and Ukraine; Comoros, an archipelago off Africa’s east coast; French Polynesia within the South Pacific; Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French archipelago south of Canada’s Newfoundland; and South Korea.
Stage 4, the CDC’s highest danger degree, has now swelled to virtually 140 locations, illustrating the speedy surge of the Omicron variant world wide. In early January, there have been round 80 locations listed there.
Stage 4 now has extra locations than all the opposite CDC classes mixed and accounts for greater than half of all of the locations listed by the CDC.
Locations added to Stage 4 on February 14:
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Comoros
• French Polynesia
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• South Korea
Final week, all six locations have been at Stage 3, or “excessive” danger for Covid-19.
The CDC advises vacationers to keep away from visiting to Stage 4 international locations. CDC thresholds for journey well being notices are primarily based totally on the variety of Covid-19 instances in a vacation spot.
The CDC locations a vacation spot at Stage 4 when greater than 500 instances per 100,000 residents are registered previously 28 days.
A medical professional weighs in on danger ranges
Transmission charges are “one guidepost” for vacationers’ private danger calculations, in response to CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen.
“We're getting into a section within the pandemic the place individuals have to make their very own selections primarily based on their medical circumstances in addition to their danger tolerance in terms of contracting Covid-19,” Wen mentioned on Monday.
“It is best to interpret Stage 4 to imply this can be a place with a whole lot of neighborhood transmission of Covid-19. So in case you go, there's a increased probability that you could possibly contract the coronavirus,” mentioned Wen, who's an emergency doctor and professor of well being coverage and administration on the George Washington College Milken Institute Faculty of Public Well being.
Some individuals will determine the danger is simply too excessive for them, Wen mentioned. “Different individuals will say, ‘As a result of I'm vaccinated and boosted, I'm prepared to tackle that danger.’
“So this actually must be a private determination that folks weigh understanding that proper now the CDC is classifying the completely different ranges primarily based on neighborhood transmission charges, and mainly solely that,” Wen mentioned. “They’re not making an allowance for particular person circumstances.”
Different vital locations at Stage 4
The CDC doesn't embody the US in its listing of advisories, however it was color-coded at Stage 4 on February 14 on the company’s map of journey danger ranges.
Final week, Japan was among the many large vacationer locations added to Stage 4.
Different vacationer favorites parked on Stage 4 even longer embody Mexico, Canada, France, Peru, Singapore and Spain. The UK has been there since July 2021.
You may view the CDC’s danger ranges for any world vacation spot on its journey suggestions web page.
In its broader journey steering, the CDC has advisable avoiding all worldwide journey till you might be absolutely vaccinated.
Modifications at Stage 3
The Stage 3 “excessive” danger class — which applies to locations which have had between 100 and 500 instances per 100,000 residents previously 28 days — noticed 4 additions on Monday. They have been:
• El Salvador
• Eswatini
• Indonesia
• Mauritius
Eswatini and Mauritius dropped down one rung from Stage 4. El Salvador’s danger degree elevated from its earlier place at Stage 2, and Indonesia jumped up two danger ranges from Stage 1.
Ranges 2, 1 and unknown
Locations carrying the “Stage 2: Covid-19 Average” designation have seen 50 to 99 Covid-19 instances per 100,000 residents previously 28 days. On Monday, the CDC up to date its steering on Pakistan, which was moved to Stage 2 final week. There have been no additional modifications to Stage 2.
At present, there are simply 4 locations at Stage 2, together with New Zealand, which has a few of the world’s tightest journey restrictions.
To be in “Stage 1: Covid-19 Low,” a vacation spot should have fewer than 50 new instances per 100,000 residents over the previous 28 days.
No locations have been moved to Stage 1 on Monday. There are at present solely six locations within the class. That features China, which is internet hosting the Winter Olympic Video games.
Lastly, there are locations for which the CDC has an “unknown” danger due to a lack of awareness. Normally, however not at all times, these are small, distant locations or locations with ongoing warfare or unrest. There have been no additions this week.
Tanzania, Cambodia and the Canary Islands are among the many more-visited areas at present listed within the unknown class. The CDC advises in opposition to journey to those locations exactly as a result of the dangers are unknown.
Cruising
The CDC consists of cruise ships on its locations listing. Cruise journey has been at Stage 4 since December 30. The CDC steering is to keep away from cruise journey presently.
“It's particularly necessary that vacationers who're at an elevated danger of extreme sickness from Covid-19 keep away from journey on cruise ships, together with river cruises,” the CDC says in its journey discover.
On February 9, the CDC up to date its journey well being discover for cruise journey including standards for the way it determines the danger degree for cruises. Cruise journey remained at Stage 4 within the February 9 replace.
For cruise journey, the CDC’s major standards in evaluating the danger degree is the variety of new Covid-19 instances amongst crew and the case trajectory amongst crew over the previous 14 days.
Stage 4 means greater than 2,000 instances detected amongst crew on cruise ships over the previous 14 days. Stage 3 is 1,000 to 2,000 information instances. Stage 2 is 500-999 new instances and Stage 1 is fewer than 500 new crew instances.
In the meantime, the CDC’s Covid-19 danger mitigation steering has turn out to be non-obligatory for a lot of cruise ships.
The CDC’s prolonged conditional crusing order expired In January, and the company has transitioned to a voluntary program for foreign-flagged cruise ships working in US waters.
Extra issues for journey
Transmission charges are necessary to contemplate when making journey selections, however there are different elements to weigh as effectively, in response to Dr. Wen.
“The transmission charges are one guidepost,” Wen mentioned. “One other is what precautions are required and adopted within the place that you simply’re going after which the third is what are you planning on doing when you’re there.
“Are you planning to go to a whole lot of points of interest and go to indoor bars? That’s very completely different from you’re going someplace the place you’re planning to lie on the seaside all day and never work together with anybody else. That’s very completely different. These are very completely different ranges of danger.”
Vaccination is probably the most vital security issue for journey since unvaccinated vacationers usually tend to turn out to be sick and transmit Covid-19 to others, Wen mentioned.
“People who find themselves unvaccinated stay at excessive danger and actually shouldn't be touring at this level,” she mentioned.
Folks needs to be carrying a high-quality masks — N95, KN95 or KF94 — anytime they’re in crowded indoor settings with individuals of unknown vaccination standing, she mentioned.
And it’s additionally necessary to contemplate what you'd do if you find yourself testing optimistic away from house. The place will you keep and the way straightforward will it's to get a take a look at to return house?
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable Information Community, Inc., a WarnerMedia Firm. All rights reserved.