CDC warns against travel to Italy.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added Italy to its highest-risk category in its latest travel advisory issued on 13 December.

The CDC has placed Italy in the 'Level 4: Covid-19 Very High' category, along with more than 80 other countries, many of them in Europe.

Advising US travellers to avoid going to Italy, the CDC warns that "if you must travel, make sure you are fully vaccinated" before travelling.

"Because of the current situation in Italy, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading covid-19 variants", reads the CDC travel warning.

• Travel between Italy and US opens up for vaccinated travellers

The move comes after the US lifted travel restrictions for fully vaccinated and covid-tested air travellers from Italy last month, ending a travel ban in place for a year and a half.

As of Tuesday more than 47 million people, or 88 per cent of the Italian population over the age of 12, have had at least one dose of the covid vaccine, according to the latest health ministry data.

For official information relating to the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website. Photo credit: Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock.com.