ORANJESTAD — Federal authorities have urged U.S. citizens not to travel to the popular holiday destination of Aruba due to the number of COVID cases there.
On January 4, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory stating that Aruba, had been issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice due to “a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.”
“Do not travel to Aruba due to COVID-related conditions,” the department added.
On the same day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its own notice urging people to “avoid travel to Aruba” and raised its travel health notice for the island to level 4—the highest level.
It warned that “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.”
However, Aruba is technically still open for travel. Several flights are available to the island from the U.S. as soon as this weekend.
The CDC notes: “If you must travel to Aruba, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.”
The CDC’s Travel Health Notice Levels are determined using COVID data submitted to the World Health Organization. If a destination has had more than 500 new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population, then it is at level 4.
A destination is at level 3 if it has had between 100 and 500 new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 people.
Following Advice on Aruba
The Department of State’s travel advisory levels aren’t specific to COVID, but can be assigned for a number of risks including civil unrest, natural disasters or health risks like disease outbreaks.
Regarding travel to Aruba, the CDC also said that travelers should follow the recommendations or requirements in Aruba, including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart from others.
The government of Aruba has mandatory entry requirements that travelers should read before going there.