Popular travel destination France at 'very high' risk for Covid-19: CDC

Dhaka: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved France to its list of "very high" risk travel destinations. France and six other countries have been moved to Level 4, the CDC's highest-risk category, on December 6.

France was the world's top destination for international tourist arrivals pre-pandemic, according to 2019 figures from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The seven new additions to CDC’s list of high-risk countries are: Andorra, Cyprus, France, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Portugal, and Tanzania.

Destinations that fall into the CDC's "Covid-19 Very High" Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.

People should avoid travelling to locations designated with a "Level 4" notice, the CDC recommended. Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advised.

In its broader travel guidance, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.

All of these European destinations, plus Jordan in the Middle East, had previously been considered "high" risk at Level 3. Previously, safari favorite Tanzania had been rated "unknown" for lack of reliable information.

While Europe is hit hard, it is not the only region with popular tourist destinations on Level 4. Among the other places also considered at "very high" risk for travel are: Barbados, Cayman Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, and Turkey.

In all, more than 80 countries were rated Level 4 as of December 6.