WASHINGTON DC — The US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (
CDC) has eased travel recommendations for more than 100
countries and territories, including
Jordan.
اضافة اعلان
The CDC's new ratings, first reported by Reuters and posted
on a CDC website on Monday, include 61 nations that were lowered from its
highest "Level 4" rating that discouraged all travel to recommending
travel for fully vaccinated individuals, the agency confirmed on Tuesday. Among
countries that were lowered from the highest rating was Jordan.
An additional 50 countries and territories have been lowered
to "Level 2" or "Level 1," a CDC spokeswoman said.
Countries ranked lowest for COVID-19 risks now include Singapore, South Korea,
Iceland, Belize, and Albania.
Among those now listed at "Level 3," are Jordan,
France, Ecuador, the Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain,
Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Honduras, Hungary, and Italy.
The US State Department said it had updated its
recommendations to reflect the recent methodology update, but noted not all
ratings were revised because of other factors including "commercial flight
availability, restrictions on US citizen entry, and impediments to obtaining
COVID test results within three calendar days."
Revised criteria
The CDC said the change came after it revised its criteria
for travel health notices. The CDC said it also revised its rating for the
United States to "Level 3" from "Level 4."
The agency said the new criteria for a Level 4 "avoid
all travel" recommendation has changed to 500 cases per 100,000 from 100
COVID-19 cases per 100,000.
The agency added that many countries have lower ratings
"because of the criteria changes or because their outbreaks are better
controlled." The CDC said it expects more countries to get lower, more
favorable travel ratings.
Other countries being lowered to "Level 3" include
Honduras, Indonesia, Libya, Panama, Poland, Denmark and Malaysia.
Many of the countries that now have lower ratings remain on
the US government's list of countries subject to severe travel restrictions —
and most have been subject to the restrictions since early 2020.
The CDC still recommends that only those who have been fully
vaccinated should travel to Jordan and “Travelers should follow recommendations
or requirements in Jordan, including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart
from others.”
The United States bars nearly all non-US citizens who have
within the previous 14 days been to China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India,
South Africa, Brazil, Iran and the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without border
controls.
Asked why the United States is maintaining the restrictions
even though some countries that now have low infection rates are subject to
them, while others with high rates are exempt, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky
said on Tuesday the issue was subject to "an interagency conversation, and
we are looking at the data in real time as to how we should move forward with
that."
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National News
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