CDC issues new travel guidance on various countries as the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated international travel recommendations amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has roiled the globe for more than a year.

"Primary and secondary criteria used to determine Travel Health Notice (THN) levels were updated to better differentiate countries with severe outbreak situations from countries with sustained, but controlled, COVID-19 spread," according to the CDC. "This update gives specific travel advice for vaccinated and unvaccinated people according to the THN level, ensuring THN levels reflect the current global situation and are aligned with guidance for international travel."

The four levels of CDC rankings range from low COVID-19 levels up to very high, with an additional category for unknown risk level: "CDC uses COVID-19 data reported by the World Health Organization and other official sources to make determinations about THN levels. If a destination does not provide data, their THN level is designated as 'unknown' and travelers are advised to follow THN Level 4 recommendations," the agency noted.