The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday moved Saint Lucia from its Level 3 – High Risk category of travel destinations due to COVID-19 to Level 4 -Very High Risk.
The CDC’s travel notices range from Level 1 (“low”) to Level 4 (“very high”).
The CDC is recommending that people should avoid travelling to destinations on the Level 4 list and if they must, they should be fully vaccinated first.
“Because of the current situation in Saint Lucia, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants,” the CDC says.
Saint Lucia’s Level 4 rating comes amid concerns by the authorities here over ‘numerous curfew breaches, large mass crowd activities at bars, beaches and private parties.’
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, said on Monday that last weekend’s response by the public to the Island’s COVID-19 protocols was not encouraging.
And she reiterated an appeal to people to exhibit responsible behaviour.
According to the Chief Medical Officer, from July 25, 2021, this country recorded a total of 2,583 infections – an average of 74 cases a day, with the majority of them being from Castries, Gros Islet, Babonneau and Dennery.
Fifty-one percent of the infections are in the age group 25-49 years and 59% of the cases are female. To date, from the positive cases diagnosed in country, 1.66% have been fully vaccinated.
