Moved up to Level 4 is Madagascar. Off the southeastern coast of Africa, it’s known for its unique wildlife, including lemurs, and for being the world’s fourth-largest island.
The CDC places a destination at “Level 4: Covid-19 Very High” risk when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days.
Madagascar resided at “Level 3: Covid-19 High” risk last week.
There are now about 120 destinations at Level 4. While the number of places in the “very high” risk category has been dropping since peaking around 140 in February, there are still more places in the Level 4 category than in all the other categories combined.
To recap, only new addition to Level 4 on March 21:
• Madagascar
CDC: Avoid Level 4 destinations
El Prado Museum is a huge draw in Madrid, Spain. However, the country remains at the CDC’s Level 4 warning.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
The CDC advises avoiding travel to Level 4 countries. CDC thresholds for travel health notices are based primarily on the number of Covid-19 cases in a destination.
Tourist favorites stalled on Level 4 include Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Greece, Peru and Spain. The United Kingdom has been there since July 2021.
Changes at Level 3
The Level 3 “high” risk category — which applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days — saw five additions on Monday — from spots scattered around the world. They were:
• Albania
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Colombia
• Guyana
Levels 2, 1 and unknown
Hassan II Mosque stands in Casablanca, Morocco.
Shutterstock
Destinations carrying the “Level 2: Covid-19 Moderate” designation have seen 50 to 99 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. The four new entries to Level 2 on March 21 are:
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Morocco
• Nepal
All four had been at Level 3, including the big tourist favorite of Morocco.
To be in “Level 1: Covid-19 Low,” a destination must have fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days. Six places moved to Level 1 on Monday:
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Gabon
• The Gambia
• Mozambique
• Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo fell the most, all the way from Level 4. Cape Verde had been at Level 3. And the rest had been at the “moderate” Level 2.
Africa continues to be a bright spot on the current Covid map, as all six of those are located there.
Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an “unknown” risk because of a lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote places or places with ongoing warfare or unrest. The CDC made no new additions to the category on Monday.
Cambodia, the Canary Islands, Macau and Tanzania are among the more-visited locations currently listed in the unknown category. The CDC advises against travel to these places…
Read More: CDC: Avoid the ‘very high’ risk Indian Ocean island of Madagascar