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What You Need to Know
- COVID-19 Community Levels help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take based on the latest information.
- Each level helps convey how much COVID-19 is impacting your community using data on hospitalizations and cases.
- Using these data, communities are classified as low, medium, or high.
- For each level, CDC recommends actions you can take to help you protect yourself and others from severe impacts of COVID-19.
Many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people.
At the same time, some people—such as those who are older, are immunocompromised, have certain disabilities, or have certain underlying health conditions—continue to be at higher risk for serious illness. Learn more about the factors that can affect your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 to better understand how COVID-19 could affect you and others around you.
Know Your COVID-19 Community Level
Take action to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in your area.
People may choose to wear a mask at any time. Masks are recommended in indoor public transportation settings and may be required in other places by local or state authorities.
Individual-Level Prevention Steps You Can Take Based on Your COVID-19 Community Level
At all COVID-19 Community Levels:
- Stay up to date on vaccination, including recommended booster doses.
- Maintain ventilation improvements.
- Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions.
When the COVID-19 Community Level is Medium or High:
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public
- If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them
When the COVID-19 Community Level is High:
- Wear a high-quality mask or respirator.
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.
Community-Level Prevention Strategies
At all COVID-19 Community Levels:
- Promote equitable access to vaccination, testing, masks and respirators, treatment and prevention medications, community outreach, and support services.
- Ensure access to testing, including through point-of-care and at-home tests for all people.
- Maintain ventilation improvements.
- Provide communications and messaging to encourage isolation among people who test positive.
When the COVID-19 Community Level is Medium or High:
- Implement screening testing in high-risk settings where screening testing is recommended.
When the COVID-19 Community Level is High:
- Implement healthcare surge support as needed.
