Spain, several other nations added to CDC high-risk travel list

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued travel advisories for Spain and a number of other countries on Monday, urging individuals not to take trips to the nations because of “a very high level of COVID-19” within their borders.

In addition to Spain, the CDC issued “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisories for Bonaire, Chad, Finland, Lebanon and Ukraine because of the level of COVID-19 in those countries.

The CDC issues a Level 4 advisory when a country reports more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the previous 28 days, according to CNN.

The health agency noted that individuals who are fully vaccinated may have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms.

The new travel advisories come as the world is grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases, driven in part by the new omicron variant. The highly mutated strain was first identified in South Africa last month, but has since spread to a number of countries, including the U.S.

The variant is highly transmissible, but experts have said that people who are fully vaccinated and have a booster shot are well protected against severe disease from the strain.

The CDC announced on Monday that the omicron variant now makes up the majority of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with 73.2 percent of infections caused by the strain.

The State Department also urged travelers to exercise increased caution in Spain because of terrorism and civil unrest; to reconsider travel to Chad because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping; and to reconsider travel to Lebanon because of crime, terrorism, armed conflict, civil unrest, kidnapping and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut’s limited capacity to support U.S. citizens.

Additionally, the department is urging individuals to reconsider travel to Ukraine because of increased threats from Russia.

The State Department is also urging individuals not to travel to Moldova because of COVID-19 and unresolved conflict, and to Sudan because of COVID-19 and civil unrest. 

The department specifically said travelers should exercise increased caution in Transnistria because of the unresolved conflict between the breakaway region and Moldova’s central government.

The department also noted that Sudan is experiencing occasional civil unrest and protests, which can lead to communication disruptions involving internet and cellphone service.