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CDC adds Mauritius to ‘Level 4: Very High’ COVID-19 travel risk category
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added Mauritius to its highest-risk category for travel on Monday.
The weekly travel risk-level update brought good news for islands clustered in and around the Caribbean Sea with nine destinations — including the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic — dropping down one rung from Level 4.
The CDC places a destination at “Level 4: Covid-19 Very High” risk when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days.
The decision comes after Mauritius reportedly logged a 180% increase in weekly cases, according to World Health Organization figures. Mauritius had previously been on Level 3.
According to WHO, there were 4,333 active cases for the week ended 28Feb. The number of active cases rose to 11,566 for the week ended 7 March – representing 179%. The number of deaths rose from 9 (Feb28) to 30 (7 Mar), an increase of 233%.
There are about 125 destinations currently at Level 4. While the number of places in the “very high” risk category has dipped since topping around 140 in February, there are still more places in the Level 4 category than in all the other categories combined.
The CDC advises avoiding travel to Level 4 countries. CDC thresholds for travel health notices are based primarily on the number of COVID-19 cases in a destination.