Avoid travel to Antigua and Barbuda is the official word to US citizens from the USA’s national public health agency as local active Covid cases hover around 1,000.
The twin island nation was yesterday placed into the “very high” risk category by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its updated list of travel advisories.
Bermuda and Guyana were the other new entries into the level four category which is the CDC’s highest risk rating.
Anyone who must travel to level four countries should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.
Nearly 90 destinations are now listed in the CDC’s highest risk group which means they have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.
Antigua and Barbuda was previously in level three.
The shift is a blow for tourism as US citizens have long made up the bulk of visitors to Antigua and Barbuda.
Fully vaccinated travellers do not have to self-quarantine upon return to the US from the twin island nation, but unvaccinated travellers are advised to self-quarantine for up to 10 days.