WASHINGTON (Reuters)

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased travel recommendations for more than 110 countries and territories, including Japan just ahead of the Olympics.

The CDC’s new ratings which were posted on the website on Monday (June 7), include 61 nations that were lowered from its highest “Level 4” rating, where travel to listed countries was discouraged, to recommending travel to these countries for fully vaccinated individuals.

As per the ratings another 50 countries and territories have also been lowered to “Level 2” or “Level 1,” a CDC spokeswoman said. 

Countries ranked lowest for COVID-19 risks now include: Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Iceland, Belize and Albania.

Among those now listed at “Level 3,” are France, Ecuador, Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Honduras, Hungary, and Italy.

A United States State Department official said it was in the process of revising its travel advisory to reflect the new CDC changes and as of early Tuesday, the U.S State Department had lowered its ratings on more than 90 countries and territories, including Japan.

On May 24, the State Department had urged against travel to Japan, citing a new wave of coronavirus cases ahead of the Tokyo Olympics set to begin July 23.

The CDC said the change comes after it revised its criteria for travel health notices where the new criteria for a Level 4 “avoid all travel” recommendation has changed from 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 to 500 cases per 100,000.

The agency added that many countries have lower ratings “because of the criteria changes or because their outbreaks are better controlled.”

Many of the countries that now have lower ratings remain on the U.S. government’s list of countries subject to severe travel restrictions – and most have been subject to the restrictions since early 2020.

The United States bars nearly all non-U.S. citizens who have within the previous 14 days been to China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, South Africa, Brazil, Iran and the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without border controls.

When asked why the United States is maintaining the warnings even though some countries now have low infection rates subject to the restrictions, while others with high rates are exempt, CDC Director Rochelle Wallensky said on Tuesday (June 8) the issue is subject to “an interagency conversation, and we are looking at the data in real-time as to how we should move forward with that.”

The United States also has been in discussions with Canada and Mexico – both of which had recommendations eased on Tuesday – on how to eventually lift or revise restrictions at U.S. land borders that bar non-essential travel.