CDC Now Advises Americans to 'Avoid' Travel to Spain

Alison Fox
·2 min read

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added eight new destinations to its highest travel warning, telling Americans to avoid going there amid the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant.

The agency added several European countries to its "Level 4" designation, its highest travel warning, including the popular tourist destination of Spain. The CDC also added Finland, Monaco, San Marino, and the British territory of Gibraltar to the list.

Destinations that record more than 500 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over the last 28 days are considered a "Level 4" on the agency's advisory list — which is updated on a weekly basis. Spain, for example, is reporting an average of just over 27,800 new infections each day, or 79% of the country's peak, according to Reuters, which is tracking case rates around the world.

Spain first started welcoming American tourists in June, and currently allows vaccinated travelers to visit, according to Spain's Ministry of Health.

View of the Christmas lights on San Vicente street in Valencia.
View of the Christmas lights on San Vicente street in Valencia.

Xisco Navarro/Getty Images

In total, the CDC now classifies 88 destinations under its highest "Level 4" travel warning.

This week's updated travel advisory comes on the heels of several other European countries being added to the highest warning level, including Italy, France, Portugal, Iceland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.

Beyond Europe, the CDC also added Lebanon, Chad, and the Caribbean island of Bonaire to its "Level 4" list.

European countries have cracked down on travel in recent weeks, like France, which closed its borders to the United Kingdom and now requires all visitors traveling from the U.S. to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of boarding a flight. And the UK, which now requires travelers to show a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 test in addition to getting a PCR test by the second day of their trip.

Germany has also banned most travelers from the UK, the BBC reported, and will require anyone who does enter from Britain to arrive with proof of a negative test and quarantine for two weeks, regardless of their vaccination status. And the Netherlands has instituted a strict lockdown through Christmas and into the New Year.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.