Throughout this roller coaster, it has been difficult for the average traveler to know with any certainty if or when it is safe to travel. The CDC attempts to account for this by alerting travelers to health threats around the world, but the organization is now making a major update to its system. Read on to learn more about how these CDC changes might affect your travel preparation. RELATED: Dr. Fauci Just Issued This New Warning to All Americans—Vaccinated or Not. The CDC uses Travel Health Notices (THNs) to inform travelers about health threats worldwide and provide advice on how to best protect yourself whenever you go on an international trip. These are not limited to COVID, but as a result of the pandemic, the CDC has implemented COVID-19 specific THNs. Prior to the pandemic, the CDC had adhered to a three-level alert system for travel notices, but according to The Points Guy, Level 4 was implemented in Nov. 2020 “as a way to align more closely with the alert systems used by public health organizations.” Per the CDC COVID-19 THNs page, levels are raised when the incidence rate (case count) and testing metrics meet the threshold for a higher level and stay at that level for 14 days. If there is a substantial increase, it can be raised sooner than 14 days, the CDC said. Comparably, a THN level is lowered when meeting the metric for a lower level, but in this instance, it must remain at that level for 28 days. To be lowered before that, vaccination coverage rates and case trajectory would need to be considered. As of April 18, the CDC will limit the use of Level 4 status (the highest ranking), when issuing warnings about COVID-19 risk in different countries. Level 4 indicates you should not travel to a certain destination, and if you must travel to a Level 4 country, you should be up to date with COVID vaccinations ahead of your trip. “Level 4 will no longer be based on COVID-19 incidence or case count alone,” the updated CDC COVID-19 THN page reads. “It will be reserved for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern, and healthcare infrastructure collapse.”
RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. The rankings for international travel currently include Level 1 (Low Level of COVID-19), Level 2 (Moderate Level of COVID-19), Level 3 (High Level of COVID-19), and Level 4 (Special Circumstances / Do Not Travel). Countries can also be categorized as Level Unknown, which is used if there is insufficient data to make a THN level determination, the CDC said. A country’s placement at Level 1, 2, or 3 will continue to be primarily based on the COVID-19 incidence rate (meaning cumulative new cases) and new case trajectory over the past 28 days.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb By limiting Level 4 solely to those countries where situations are especially concerning, the CDC aims “to help the public understand when the highest level of concern is most urgent,” an April 13 statement from the organization said. The statement also confirmed that the CDC Mask Order would remain in effect through May 3. The Points Guy noted that the restructuring coincides with a recent statement made by Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, the White House COVID response coordinator. In an April 11 appearance on CNN, and reported by The New York Times, Jha indicated that hospitalizations related to COVID-19 will be the key metric, as many at-home COVID-19 test results are likely to be unreported. Currently, as long as you follow any necessary protocols, you are able to travel internationally, as the CDC THNs don’t legally bar you from traveling to specific countries. Instead, they are designed to give you an understanding of the risk you could be taking when traveling to that destination, according to The Points Guy. As a result of the newly-implemented change, there were no countries flagged as Level 4 on the CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination page on Monday. RELATED: Delta Just Made This Permanent Change for All Passengers, Starting Now.
