(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday updated its travel advisory page for Covid-19. Just two new places, both in Africa, joined the crowded “high” risk category.
But perhaps more notable this week is the news that two destinations in stubbornly high Europe were downgraded to “moderate” risk.
The Scandinavian cultural powerhouse of Sweden and heavily forested and historic Romania in Eastern Europe provide two bright spots on a continent that has been mired in the “high” risk category.
The Level 3 “high” risk category is now the top rung in terms of risk level. Level 2 is considered “moderate” risk. Level 1 is “low” risk.
Level 4, previously the highest risk category, is now reserved only for special circumstances, such as extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern or health care infrastructure collapse. Under the new system, no destinations have been placed at Level 4 so far.
A herd of elephants is spotted in eastern Botswana. The southern African nation is now at Level 3.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
The “Level 3: Covid-19 High” category now applies to places that have had more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. The two destinations joining Level 3 this week are:
• Botswana
• Cape Verde
Botswana, a landlocked safari favorite, moved all the way up from Level 1 while Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa in the North Atlantic, moved up from Level 2.
There were more than 110 destinations at Level 3 on June 21. Level 3 locations account for almost half of the roughly 235 places monitored by the CDC.
More on Level 3
The Eiffel Tower basks in a romantic Paris twilight. France is still at the CDC’s Level 3.
Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images
Despite the good news on Sweden and Romania, much of Europe has been stubbornly lodged there for months with the summer travel season started. As of June 21, the following popular European destinations were among those remaining at Level 3:
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Spain
• United Kingdom
But it’s not just European favorites that find themselves at Level 3. Numerous notable travel destinations around the world are among those in the ‘high’…
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