(CNN) – Islands from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean joined a handful of Eastern European countries that are among the most recent places considered “very high” risk to travel according to the Centers for Control and Prevention of Diseases of the United States (CDC).
Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius, Albania and Serbia passed the “level 4: covid-19 very high” category on the CDC’s travel warning list on Monday.
Afghanistan, which has been plunged into chaos since the Taliban took power and the U.S. withdrawal last month, has also moved to Level 4.
The CDC recommends avoiding traveling to designated places with the warning “level 4: covid-19 very high.” Those who have to travel should get vaccinated first, the agency advises.
These destinations went on the level 4 list on September 13:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Belize
- Granada
- Lithuania
- Mauritius
- Sant Cristòfol i Neus
- Serbia
- Slovenia
CDC travel alerts range from level 1 (“low”) to level 4 (“very high”).
Destinations falling into the “very high level 4 covid-19” category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC criteria.
All the destinations mentioned above went from “level 3: covid-19 high”.
Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.
Israel was also included in the Level 4 update list on Monday afternoon. However, Israel was already in the level 4 category before the weekly update. The CDC did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for clarification.
New “level 3” destinations
Four destinations moved into the Level 3 category on Monday: Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia and Romania.
Brazil dropped from level 4, while Australia, Ethiopia and Romania were previously in the “moderate” level 2 category.
Australia has recently struggled to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant, which has spread to major population centers in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, causing long-term confinements.
The country announced plans to test vaccination passports as it prepares to reopen its borders to international tourism.
In its broader travel guide, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are completely 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 greater risk of contracting and possibly spreading some variants of covid. -19 “, the agency said.
You can check the CDC’s risk level for any destination on their travel recommendations page.
–Ben Westcott of CNN contributed to this report.