BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has placed several Caribbean countries on its highest risk travel category for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as countries continue to grapple with the latest wave of infections and deaths linked to the Omicron variant of the virus.

The CDC named The Bahamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, Suriname as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands on the Level 4 category.

The British Virgin Islands had the biggest move upward in the list, moving from Level 1 or “low” risk last week, while Grenada moved from the Level 2 or “moderate” risk category it had last week.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. The CDC advises travellers to avoid travel to Level 4 countries.

Jamaica, Cuba, Saba, Saint Barthelemy and Sint Eustatius are the Caribbean countries in the Level 3 category, which applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.

Saba, Saint Barthelemy and Sint Eustatius moved up from Level 1, while Jamaica and Cuba moved from a Level 2 category joining almost 60 destinations at Level 3.

Destinations carrying the “Level 2: COVID-19 Moderate” designation have seen 50 to 99 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. Montserrat is the only Caribbean country in that category. It had been described as a Level 1 country last week.

To be in “Level 1: COVID-19 Low,” a destination must have fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days.