Mass vaccination campaigns are picking pace across the world as countries slowly get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, leading to health authorities issuing fresh travel recommendations. 

International travel
guidance was updated on Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to give specific advice for both vaccinated and unvaccinated
travellers. The update will result in moving around 33 countries including Iceland,
Israel, and Singapore, into the lowest risk category.

Also read: US travel warnings relaxed for select countries, including Olympics host Japan

Travel Health Notice guidelines revised by the CDC’S for
COVID-19 seek to “better differentiate countries with severe outbreak
situations” from countries in which COVID-19 is “sustained, but
controlled.”

The threat levels by the CDC are determined by the number of  cases in a given country. The CDC recommends people to get vaccinated,
at each level, but its guidance for unvaccinated people varies by how severe
the pandemic is in each country.

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The CDC recommends avoiding travel to countries in the ‘Very High’ risk category – level 4 – such as Brazil, India, and Iraq as these countries pose higher threat levels,
and have more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 28 days.

For countries at level 3, which include Mexico, Russia, and
Iran, the CDC recommends against nonessential travel for those who are
unvaccinated against COVID-19. These countries are currently reporting 100 to
500 cases per 100,000 residents.

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 In countries Finland,
Cambodia, and Kenya, which are at Level 2, are currently reporting 50-99 cases
per 100,000 residents. The agency recommended that unvaccinated travelers who
are at severe risk from COVID-19 should avoid visiting or traveling to these countries.

Finally, level 1 countries like Australia and New Zealand
are considered the lowest risk destinations as the cases in these specific
countries have dropped tremendously which is less than 50 in the last 28 days. The
CDC still recommends getting vaccinated before traveling to a low-risk location
for one’s safety.