by Linda Straker
- Level 3 ranking is a downgrading of CDC’s travel advisory for Grenada
- Grenada Ministry of Health is yet to issue a statement
An official of the US State Department who works in the OECS region, said that the placement of Grenada as a level 3 or high-risk country for Covid-19 under the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) ranking is actually a downgrading of the centre’s travel advisory.
“Most of the countries in the world (not just Grenada) are listed as a level 3 or a level 4 destination. This comes after they have lifted the previous level 4 worldwide travel advisory that has been in effect since 19 March, which advised US citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of Covid-19.”
“The CDC is providing this updated travel advice in light of the risk that Covid poses and so that travellers can make informed travel decisions. Level 3 includes a wide range of countries including countries as diverse as Norway, Canada, Japan, and Zimbabwe,” said the official.
The public affairs team at the US Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, also provided some clarity on the advisory which was published on the CDC website on 6 August. “The Covid-19 pandemic poses unprecedented risks for travellers. Given current global conditions, most countries around the world are currently a Level 3 or Level 4.” The team added, “We routinely review safety and security conditions in destinations across the world, and will update destination-specific information as appropriate.”
All Caricom countries are listed in the CDC travel advisory. In Grenada, many citizens have condemned the ranking because the island currently has no active cases and has recorded 24 cases since the first on record in March 2020.
The Grenada Ministry of Health is yet to issue a statement about the advisory.
Grenada, as part of its new health protocol for incoming passengers, has created 3 categories of destinations. Low risk is for Caricom nations with less than 20 cases in the last 14 days; medium risk for nations with less than 60 cases in the last 14 days and high risk countries for countries with more than 60 cases.
The US which has millions of infected persons and recorded 160,000 deaths caused by Covid-19 is currently listed as a high risk country. With the exceptions of charters, no international flights are allowed from that destination. All persons arriving must undergo rapid and or PCR Covid-19 test and face mandatory quarantine in accordance with the health assessment and screening guidelines.
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