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These are the latest CDC travel advisories for 2021

The Points Guy 8/8/2021 Madison Blancaflor

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While the U.S. State Department releases a list of travel advisories for everything related to potential safety while abroad, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases its own list of travel health notices specific to health-related concerns such as disease outbreaks and natural disasters.

With COVID-19 cases declining around the world but new variants in the mix that could threaten that trend, as is happening in the U.S., advisories and recommendations are constantly changing. We’ve started a list of these CDC-specific advisories to help you keep up. You can also find the full list on the CDC website.

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In This Post

Warning levels

The CDC uses three levels of warning notices for general travel health advisories:

Warning Level 3 (Red) — Avoid nonessential travel
Alert Level 2 (Yellow) — Practice enhanced precautions
Watch Level 1 (Green) — Practice usual precautions

Red alerts are obviously the areas with the highest risk. Yellow alerts will include additional precautions that should be taken and/or defines a specific at-risk population. Green alerts may include a list of recommended vaccines or general precautionary advice.

But the CDC also has a different database specific to COVID-19 levels, broken down into five categories:

Level 4: Very high level of COVID-19
Level 3: High level of COVID-19
Level 2: Moderate level of COVID-19
Level 1: Low level of COVID-19
Level: Unknown

This ranking is determined based on the number of cumulative new cases per 100,000 people over the past 28 days and new case trajectory (if the new cases rate going up, down or remaining stable). Level 4 notices indicate an area with at least 100 new cases per 100,000 people. You can read more about how each level is defined on the CDC website.

Americans experiencing COVID-19 related emergencies overseas should contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, or call the State Department assistance call center:

From the U.S. & Canada – 1-888-407-4747
From Overseas – +1 202-501-4444
Enroll in STEP — the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

COVID-19 travel health notices

Here is a list of the current health notices for COVID-19, broken down by level.

Level 4: COVID-19 very high

The CDC recommends avoiding all travel to the following areas:

Andorra
Argentina
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Burma (Myanmar)
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Curacao
Cyprus
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fiji
French Guiana
Georgia
Gibraltar
Greece
Guadeloupe
Guinea-Bissau
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lesotho
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Martinique
Mongolia
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
The Netherlands
Nicaragua
Oman
Panama
Papa New Guinea
Paraguay
Portugal
Reunion
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Martin
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
U.S. Virgin Islands
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Zimbabwe

Level 3: COVID-19 high

The CDC recommends avoiding all nonessential travel to the following areas:

Afghanistan
Armenia
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Cambodia
Canada
Cape Verde
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Easter Island
Ecuador
Estonia
Eswatini
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
French Polynesia
The Gambia
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Iceland
India
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Latvia
Liberia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Mauritius
Mexico
Montenegro
Morocco
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Russia
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Senegal
Sint Maarten
Slovenia
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Turkey
Uganda
Zambia
Cruise ship travel

Level 2: COVID-19 moderate

The CDC recommends all at-risk travelers avoid nonessential travel to the following areas:

Antigua and Barbuda
Bhutan
Djibouti
Dominica
Equatorial Guinea
Falkland Islands
Grenada
Hong Kong
India
Mongolia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South Korea

Level 1: COVID-19 low

The CDC recommends taking steps before, during and after travel to keep yourself and others from getting COVID-19 when you travel to the following areas:

American Samoa
Anguilla
Australia
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cambodia
Cayman Islands
China
Fiji
Greenland
Laos
Mashall Islands
Micronesia
Montserrat
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Saba
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Sint Eustatius
Taiwan
Vietnam

Any countries not listed above are currently Level Unknown.

Non-COVID-19 travel health notices

There are a handful of Warning Level 3 and Alert Level 2 notices not related to COVID-19 that the CDC has released. You can see the full list (including Watch Level 1) on the CDC website.

Warning Level 3

The CDC recommends avoiding all nonessential travel to the following areas:

Democratic Republic of the Congo – Due to a volcanic eruption in the North Kivu Province travelers are advised to avoid the region.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines – Citing another active volcano, the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to the island.
Venezuela – The CDC lists a health infrastructure breakdown in Venezuela, with the country experiencing outbreaks of infectious diseases. Adequate healthcare is not currently available in most of the country.

Alert Level 2

The CDC recommends enhanced precautions for the following areas:

Nigeria – There is an outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria, and the CDC recommends getting vaccinated at least 10 days before travel and taking extra steps to prevent mosquito bites.
Hait – Due to an increased level in rabies in dogs, travelers should not touch dogs or cats, and seek treatment for any bites or scratches.
Africa – The CDC reports multiple polio outbreaks in several countries in Africa, recommending travelers be vaccinated fully before traveling.
Asia – The CDC reports multiple polio outbreaks in several countries in Africa, recommending travelers be vaccinated fully before traveling.

Bottom line

Keep in mind that many countries have issued their own travel restrictions or additional entry requirements for U.S. travelers entering foreign nations. Before you travel, be sure to check the requirements from the destinations you plan to visit, in order to ensure you have all the documents and any testing you need. Otherwise, you may not be allowed to travel or worse yet, will be sent home upon arrival.

Featured image by Dzianis_Rakhuba/Shutterstock.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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