The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned people not to travel to Italy, placing one of Europe’s top tourist destinations on its highest-risk category for the coronavirus.
On Monday, the CDC moved all three places from a Level 3 risk category to Level 4 and recommended that people avoid traveling there. If they do, the agency said, they should ensure they are “fully vaccinated before travel.”
The CDC reviews case data and places a destination at Level 4, signifying “very high” risk, when it reports more than 500 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days.
The CDC has four levels that start at “low” and escalate to “moderate,” “high” and “very high.”
Italy is one of the last countries in Europe to be placed at a Level 4, after France, Portugal — which has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe — and Germany. Spain is at Level 3, as is Malta.
Europe continues to grapple with a surge of coronavirus cases, largely driven by the delta and highly transmissible omicron variants and as scientists and leaders worldwide continue to monitor and assess the severity of omicron.
Britain, also at Level 4, declared an “omicron emergency” this week and said it expects an “omicron tidal wave,” as cases continue to increase in London and other cities.