Is it safe to travel to Italy, Japan (or anywhere else) amid coronavirus outbreak?

On Sunday, popular spring break and dream destination Italy was raised to a “level 2” travel alert, due to sustained community spread of the virus. Community spread means that some of those who are sick with the virus cannot determine where or how they were infected, and the spread is also ongoing.

Japan, currently with more than 800 coronavirus cases, has been on a level 2 alert since Feb. 19.

According to the CDC, a level 2 warning means older adults and people with chronic medical conditions who are at an increased risk of contracting coronavirus should consider postponing nonessential travel to these areas.

If you’re unsure about your individual risk, talk to your healthcare provider or a travel medicine specialist, Scott Weisenberg, MD, director of the travel medicine program at NYU Langone Health tells CNBC Make It.

But the best thing the average person can do is “keep a close eye on the reports of disease in the area,” Weisenberg says. Check the CDC’s website, or monitor the state or territorial health department websites. If the CDC raises the travel alert for the area you plan to visit, then you “may want to reconsider your trip,” because any growth in the number of cases would be cause for concern, he says.

Rachael Lee, assistant professor in the division of infectious disease at University of Alabama School of Medicine, tells CNBC Make It she herself would “do my best” to try and reschedule or cancel if she had a trip planned to Italy in the next month. Hopefully, local authorities in these areas will be able to control the numbers from getting worse, she says, but given how quickly the virus spread in China, it’s very hard to determine what will happen. (The Italian National Tourism Board did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.)

If you do decide to go to a level 2 country, “practice enhanced precautions,” says the CDC, such as avoiding contact with sick people and refraining from touching your face with dirty hands. Being diligent about washing your hands with soap and water is also important. As for surgical masks, most regular versions don’t provide enough protection from small respiratory particles, nor are they recommended for anyone besides healthcare workers.