The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its travel advisories for Singapore and Hong Kong by one level each.

Singapore was raised from Level 2 to Level 3This indicates a country with a high concentration of Covid-19. The CDC advised that travelers not vaccinated from traveling to Southeast Asia should be avoided.

According to the agency, “All travelers could become infected by the Covid-19 variants because of the present situation in Singapore.”

Singapore’s Covid infections have surged to new highs In the last week. In an effort to reduce virus transmission, tighter restrictions were implemented Monday.

U.S. State Department updated its advice for Singapore to Level 3 and recommended citizens “reconsider traveling.” Covid-19 had previously placed the city-state at Level 2. This means that travelers need to exercise greater caution.

Travelers should also reconsider travel to Hong Kong, according to a department advisory last updated June 16. In that notice, the State Department cited “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” as well as Covid-related travel restrictions.

This week, the CDC raised its travel health advisory for Hong Kong from Level 1 to Level 2, indicating a shift from “low” to “moderate” levels of Covid.

According to an updated recommendation, travelers not vaccinated who may be at greater risk from severe coronavirus illness should stay away from nonessential travel to China.

According to the agency, travelers who travel to Level 2 or 3, should be fully vaccinated prior.

For the last week, Hong Kong has had a single-digit increase in reported Covid cases. The infections all came from imported patients.

According to Our World in Data, 359 new Covid cases were reported in the U.S. per day for the last seven days. This compares with 246 per million in Singapore, and 0.62 per thousand in Hong Kong.

The CDC has four levels in its Covid-19 travel health recommendations:

• Level 1: Low
• Level 2: Moderate
• Level 3: High
• Level 4: Very high

All travelers are advised to avoid going to Level 4 destinations. The agency notes that its data comes from official sources and the World Health Organization. However, the CDC stated that insufficient data exists for areas listed as “level unknown”, and recommends travelers follow Level 4.

While the State Department has also established four levels for its travel advisory system but covers a greater range of variables, it uses fewer. Although the CDC focuses primarily on health, State Department assesses other risk factors such as unrest, crime, terrorism, natural disasters, and kidnapping.

• Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
• Level 2: Exercise increased caution
• Level 3: Reconsider travel
• Level 4: Do not travel

The department’s advisories now include information on Covid risks for each destination, often citing CDC travel health recommendations.