(CNN) — The US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has positioned a well-liked African vacation spot in its “excessive” Covid-19 threat class for vacationers.

South Africa — famend for its beautiful vistas, wildlife, wineries and tradition — is now at Degree 3. In complete, the CDC moved up 4 locations to the “excessive” threat column on Monday:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Lesotho
• South Africa
• Taiwan

The CDC lately overhauled its scores system for assessing Covid-19 threat for vacationers.

The Degree 3 “excessive” threat class is now the highest rung by way of threat stage. Degree 2 is taken into account “average” threat, and Degree 1 is “low” threat.

Degree 4, beforehand the best threat class, is now reserved just for particular circumstances, resembling extraordinarily excessive case counts, emergence of a brand new variant of concern or well being care infrastructure collapse. Below the brand new system, no locations have been positioned at Degree 4 to this point.

Lesotho, a mountainous landlocked nation inside South Africa, moved up from Degree 1 on Monday. All the opposite locations had been at Degree 2.

General, the previous 4 weeks of advisories have seen little in the way in which of the dramatic shifts in standing that characterised this previous winter and early spring in the course of the authentic Omicron variant surge.

Degree 3

The skyline of Paris all the time evokes, however France stays within the CDC’s “excessive” threat class.

Ekaterina Belova/Adobe Inventory

Within the CDC’s new system, the “Degree 3: Covid-19 Excessive” class applies to nations which have had greater than 100 instances per 100,000 residents prior to now 28 days.

A lot of Europe has been stubbornly lodged there with the summer season journey season getting ever nearer. As of Could 16, the next standard European locations have been amongst these remaining at Degree 3:

• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Eire
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Portugal
• Spain
• United Kingdom

It is not simply European favorites that discover themselves at Degree 3. A number of notable locations around the globe are amongst these within the excessive threat class, together with the next:

• Brazil
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Malaysia
• South Korea
• Thailand

There have been about 110 locations at Degree 3 on Could 16, a slight enhance from Could 9. Degree 3 places now account for practically half of the roughly 235 locations monitored by the CDC.

Degree 2

Pleased Bay is within the British Abroad Territory of Anguilla. The Caribbean island is now on the “average” Covid-19 threat stage, in keeping with the CDC.

Nikolay/Adobe Inventory

Locations carrying the “Degree 2: Covid-19 Reasonable” designation reported 50 to 100 Covid-19 instances per 100,000 residents prior to now 28 days. Simply two locations have been moved to this stage on Monday:

• Anguilla
• Lebanon

This was excellent news for the Caribbean island and the Center Japanese getaway, which had been at Degree 3. Fewer than 20 locations have been listed at Degree 2 on Monday.

Degree 1

The Treasury is seen via a cave opening at Petra in Jordan. The Arab nation is now on the CDC’s Degree 1.

Burt Johnson/Adobe Inventory

To be in “Degree 1: Covid-19 Low,” a vacation spot will need to have had 49 or fewer new instances per 100,000 residents over the previous 28 days. 4 locations have been added to the class on Could 16:

• Jordan
• Mongolia
• Sri Lanka
• Zimbabwe

All 4 nations had been at Degree 2 final week.

This stage is dominated by locations in Africa, together with Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. Degree 1 had simply over 50 entries as of Monday.

Unknown

Lastly, there are locations the CDC has deemed to be of “unknown” threat due to a lack of awareness. Normally, however not all the time, these are small, distant locations or locations with ongoing warfare or unrest. There was just one addition to this class on Monday: French Polynesia, which beforehand had been at Degree 3.

The CDC advises in opposition to journey to those locations exactly as a result of the dangers are unknown. Others on this class embody the Azores, Cambodia, Macao and Tanzania.

A medical skilled weighs in on threat ranges

Transmission charges are simply “one guidepost” for vacationers’ private threat calculations, in keeping with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

We have moved into “a section within the pandemic the place individuals must make their very own selections primarily based on their medical circumstances in addition to their threat tolerance relating to contracting Covid-19,” mentioned Wen, who’s an emergency doctor and professor of well being coverage and administration on the George Washington College Milken Institute Faculty of Public Well being.

There are different elements to weigh along with transmission charges, in keeping with Wen.

“One other is what precautions are required and adopted within the place that you are going after which the third is what are you planning on doing when you’re there.

“Are you planning to go to a whole lot of sights and go to indoor bars? That is very totally different from you are going someplace the place you are planning to lie on the seaside all day and never work together with anybody else. That is very totally different. These are very totally different ranges of threat.”

Vaccination is probably the most important security issue for journey, since unvaccinated vacationers usually tend to turn out to be sick and transmit Covid-19 to others, Wen mentioned.

And it is also essential to think about what you’ll do if you find yourself testing optimistic away from residence. The place will you keep and the way simple will or not it’s to get a take a look at to return residence?

Prime picture: South Africa is famend for beautiful surroundings resembling Blyde River Canyon. (Lkpro/Adobe Inventory)