CDC Puts Antigua, Curacao on the “No Travel” List

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added two popular Caribbean islands to its highest advisory (Level 4: COVID-19 Very High) ahead of spring break.

Antigua and Barbuda and the Dutch Caribbean island Curaçao were both added to the list of countries American travelers should avoid due to a positive uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

The two islands join other popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean that share the highest warning, including Mexico and Saint Lucia, all of which are welcoming American tourists.

Though the CDC is still recommending that people avoid all travel at this time, the agency does continually update its country-by-country list by risk level.

Level 4 is the CDC’s highest warning. It means that the COVID-19 risk is very high and travelers should avoid travel to these destinations.

To determine a country’s designation, the CDC uses COVID-19 data from the World Health Organization as well as incidence rates and new case trajectories.

The CDC’s Level 4 list currently includes more than 150 other countries and territories, including the United States.  Oman and Sri Lanka were also added to the list of high-risk countries this week.

Antigua and Barbuda was one of the first Caribbean nations to welcome back visitors, opening its borders to international tourists in June 2020. Curacao started welcoming tourists in June 2020, adding more countries to the list in July, and finally opening to all countries on January 1st, 2021.