South Caucasus remains in CDC's highest risk travel category, while U.S. opens doors to international visitors

Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia still remain in the U.S. CDC's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) list of "very high" risk travel destinations, amid a recent spike of COVID-19 cases in the region, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The U.S. on Monday lifted restrictions on travel from a long list of countries including most of Europe, doing away with a COVID-19 restriction that dates back to the Trump administration, The new rules allow air travel from previously restricted countries to the U.S. as long as the traveler has proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.

However, some 80 countries, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, are still shaded dark red on the CDC's world map at risk of "Level 4" - the highest possible - for much of the pandemic and remain so on the day international travel to the U.S. resumes.

"This travel pivot... does not actually change the concept of offering a risk assessment based on COVID incidence rates, hospitalizations, deaths, vaccination coverage, a number of factors that CDC looks at and analyzes in order to assess the level of risk of exposure in specific countries." Marty Cetron, director for the CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, said on Monday in response to TURAN's question.

"So the Level 1 through 4 travel notices are tied to the level of risk because they're important for people to understand that if folks are unvaccinated, this risk still persists," he told TURAN's Washington correspondent during a special briefing organised by the State Department's International Media Hub.

"... And particularly as we've seen in the United States and in many other countries now, the pandemic is shifting to be principally impacting in terms of burden hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated. There are significant numbers of unvaccinated people worldwide and in the United States, and as that remains to be the case, CDC thinks it's very important to highlight the state of risk in these graded categories. So although there are no bans, it is important to provide the information so travelers are fully informed in each direction." - he explained.

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 traveling to locations designated with a "Level 4" notice, the CDC recommends.

Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.