Americans urged to 'avoid travel' to Sweden, other European destinations due to COVID

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging travelers to skip several new European destinations due to "very high" levels of COVID-19.

"Avoid travel to Sweden," the public health agency wrote in a Travel Health Notice this week.

Sweden joined Malta and Moldova as level 4 countries on Monday, the CDC's highest COVID-19 ranking. The U.S. State Department issued parallel Travel Advisories for all three countries and also added Suriname to its level 4 list.

Sweden has had 95,712 new coronavirus cases over the past month, according to Johns Hopkins University data. By comparison, the U.S. reported 4.9 million cases over the same period.

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"If you must travel to Sweden, make sure you are fully vaccinated," the CDC said, which lines right up with Sweden's policies. 

Sweden has banned nonessential travel from most countries outside the European Union and European Economic Area through Jan. 31. There are some exceptions, including for vaccinated travelers from the U.S., who may enter with negative results from a coronavirus test taken within 48 hours of their trip.