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(CNN) -
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included five places in Europe - including one of the world's greatest tourist powers - on its list of risk destinations. travel "very high" due to covid-19.
France and four of its European neighbors on Monday went to Level 4, the CDC's highest risk category.
Before the pandemic, France was the world's top destination for international tourist arrivals, according to 2019 figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Two other locations - one in the Middle East and one in East Africa - were also moved to Level 4. Those seven nations are:
- Andorra
- Cyprus
- France
- Jordan
- Liechtenstein
- Portugal
- Tanzania
Destinations that fall into the Tier 4 category are those that have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
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The CDC recommends that people avoid traveling to places designated with a "Level 4" advisory.
Anyone who has to travel should be fully vaccinated before, advises the agency.
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In its broader travel guidelines, the CDC recommends avoiding all international travel until a person is 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.
All of these European destinations, in addition to Jordan in the Middle East, had previously been considered "high" risk, at Level 3. Previously, a very popular safari destination such as Tanzania had been classified as "unknown" due to a lack of reliable information. .
Concern about the increase of covid-19 in Europe and the omicron variant
The Level 4 announcement comes as two troubling fronts continue to unfold in the pandemic.
First, Europe continues to grapple with a wave of covid-19 that threatens the economy in general and tourism in particular.
France has been particularly hard hit by this latest wave and is responding with increasingly stringent measures.
Neighboring Germany is also tightening the rules on who can enter and increasing restrictions on its own unvaccinated citizens.
Some Christmas markets in Europe are still planning to operate, but others, including the famous Munich market, have been canceled.
Second, the world is watching with anxiety the new variant of the omicron coronavirus.
The variant has resulted in various travel bans on southern African nations.
On November 27, the CDC upgraded many nations in the region to Level 4 by omicron.
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And the United States applies stricter travel rules as of Monday due to concerns about the variant.
Other nations at Tier 4
Although Europe is hard hit, it is not the only region with popular Tier 4 tourist destinations. Other places that are also considered "very high" risk for travel include:
- Barbados
- Cayman Islands
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Turkey
In total, more than 80 countries were rated at this level as of December 6.
You can check the CDC's risk levels for world destinations on their travel advice page.
What's New in Level 3
The Tier 3 category, which applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, had four updates this week, all in the Caribbean basin.
The four places that progressed to Level 3 were:
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Granada
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
The change is positive for the islands of Cuba, Granada and Saint Kitts and Nevis, which were at level 4. It is not for Colombia, which was previously at Level 2.
Another important point: the CDC places cruise ships, whether at sea or in rivers, at Level 3.
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New income to Level 2
Destinations that carry the designation "Level 2: moderate covid-19" have registered between 50 and 99 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
This week there are five new entries.
Are:
- Bahrain
- Cape Verde
- Fiji
- Mali
- Sao Tome and Principe
Mali had previously been at Level 1, but the rest of the group were at Level 3. This decline was good news for Fiji, which reopened to international tourists on December 1 for the first time since its closure in March. 2020.
Level 1 and unknown
The small African nation of Djibouti moved to Level 1. It had previously been to Level 2.
The "Level 1: low covid-19" destinations register less than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC states that the risk is "unknown" due to lack of information.
As of December 6, that list included Algeria, Cambodia, Macao and Monaco, among others.
