US warns against travel to Barbados; advisory raised to Level 4

As the US State Department updated its travel advisories this week, Barbados has been added to the 'Level 4: COVID-19 Very High' category which recommends no travel to the island.

The update also saw the travel advisories for the territories of Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines being increased similarly.  

According to the US Embassy in Bridgetown website: “The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Barbados due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.”

A Level 4 Health Notice recommends that travellers should avoid all travel to Barbados and that the current situation in Barbados may place even fully vaccinated travellers at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. It also suggests that if persons must travel to the island, they should get fully vaccinated before travel and ensure they wear masks, stay six feet from others, avoid crowds and wash their hands while on the island.

The CDC currently has over 140 travel health notices, including for the United States and areas of the Caribbean, under 'Level 4: COVID-19 Very High', which recommend no travel. The recent Travel Advisory update resulted in a significant increase in the number of countries at Travel Advisory Level 4. Given current global conditions and following the Travel Advisory update, approximately 80 per cent of countries worldwide will have a Travel Advisory Level of 4: Do Not Travel.

A notice posted to the US embassy site “strongly recommend US citizens reconsider all travel abroad and postpone their trips if possible”.

It further went on to explain: “We recognise the incredible efforts of the national public health systems.  This update does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country. It reflects an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to give more weight to the CDC’s existing assessments. Travel Advisory levels take into account several factors that present risks to US citizens, including public health indicators, access to medical care, entry and exit requirements, and the ability of the US government to assist in an emergency. We also consider the mitigation strategies countries have put in place, including COVID-19 related restrictions on entry by US and other foreign nationals. The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented risks for travellers. The CDC has been consistent with that message since the start of the pandemic, and the Department’s updated Travel Advisories reflect that warning.”

The notice promised to update travel advisories appropriately as they routinely reviewed conditions across the world.

“We will continue to work with our Caribbean partners to defeat this virus through prevention and vaccination and advance our strong economic relationship,” it concluded.