Austrians take to the streets against new confinement by covid-19 2:20
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Germany and Denmark joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of "very high" risk destinations on Monday, as the winter surge Covid-19 spreads across much of Europe.
Germany is battling a fourth wave and last week saw a record spike in cases in a single day.
Some of the charming Christmas markets that tend to draw crowds in Germany at this time of year have already been canceled, including the popular Munich Christmas Market.
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After lifting national COVID-19 restrictions in September, Denmark is once again battling a spike in cases and determining whether to re-implement the restrictions.
In Copenhagen, the famous Tivoli Gardens opened their Christmas season on Friday.
On Monday, Denmark moved to the CDC's highest risk category for travel.
In June, when this photo was taken in Copenhagen, the situation was better.
(Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP via Getty Images)
Destinations that fall into the CDC's "very high covid-19" level 4 category means they have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
The CDC recommends that people avoid traveling to places designated with a "level 4" advisory.
Anyone who has to travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.
To recap, these two destinations were upgraded to Tier 4 on November 22:
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Denmark
Germany
Visiting iconic attractions like Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen in southern Germany may have to wait.
Germany moved to the CDC's highest risk travel category on Monday.
(Credit: Christof Stache / AFP via Getty Images)
Previously, the two destinations were in the "high covid-19" risk level 3 category.
By moving to level 4, they join the ranks of other favorite travel destinations in Europe and elsewhere.
Among them are:
Austria
Belgium
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Netherlands
Singapore
Turkey
In total, some 75 destinations are currently at Tier 4. The UK and the British Virgin Islands are at Tier 4 as of July 19.
New destinations on level 3
The level 3 category, which refers to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days, had five updates this week, with a large presence of Caribbean countries.
These five destinations were upgraded to Tier 3 on November 22:
Aruba
Curacao
Guadeloupe
Israel
US Virgin Islands
The change was actually good news for all five destinations, which used to be at level 4.
You can check the CDC's risk levels for world destinations on their travel advice page.
According to CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, there are other factors travelers should be aware of in addition to the Covid-19 incidence rates featured prominently in CDC travel advisories.
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"Transmission rates are a benchmark. Another is what precautions are required and followed where you are going and the third is what you plan to do once you are there," said Wen, an emergency and medical doctor. Professor of Health Policy and Management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
"Do you plan on visiting a lot of attractions and going to closed bars? That's very different from going to a place where you plan to lie on the beach all day and not interact with anyone else," said Wen, who is also the author of a new book, "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health".
The most important thing is that travelers get vaccinated, he said.
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Level 2 update
The CDC lowered the hazard level for three African countries: Benin, Equatorial Guinea, and Ethiopia.
The situation in the fourth tier 2 country, New Zealand, has worsened.
The country, which rose from level 1, has recently moved away from its "zero covid" strategy, now focusing on vaccination efforts and living with the virus.
These destinations were upgraded to Tier 2 on November 22:
Benin
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
New Zealand
Destinations that carry the designation "level 2: moderate covid-19" have registered between 50 and 99 cases of covid-19 per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
Keep in mind that the CDC list is updated weekly, and that the situation in any country can change for better or for worse from week to week.
A boatman paddles down the Bou Regreg river near the Kasbah of Oudaya, between the city of Sale and the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
Morocco has just entered the "low" risk category for travel.
(Credit: FADEL SENNA / AFP / AFP via Getty Images)
Level 1 and no qualifications
On the other hand, a dozen countries moved to the "low" risk category of level 1. The news from Africa was especially good.
African countries accounted for three-quarters of the new entries.
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In "level 1: low covid-19" destinations, fewer than 50 new cases have been registered for every 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
The 12 destinations that moved to level 1 on November 22 are:
Bangladesh
United Arab Emirates
Ghana
Kenya
Kosovo
Morocco
Nigeria
South Africa
Swaziland
Togo
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Several of them, such as Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, are among the main tourist attractions in Africa.
Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an "unknown" risk due to lack of information.
As of November 22, that list included
Burundi, Madagascar, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Macao
.
In its broader travel guide, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until fully vaccinated.
"Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to contract and spread COVID-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers may be at increased risk of contracting and possibly spreading some variants of COVID-19." the agency said.
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