Where can I find information on my local community’s condition?

A new “county check tool” is available at CDC.gov or by calling 800-232-4636, informing users whether they face low, medium or high virus levels in their area under the new, nonbinding guidance. However, state and local officials set any binding rules on masking and testing.

How does the CDC set the levels?

The guidance will be based on a color-coded map updated weekly, reflecting the shifting risk in communities across the United States. The risk is assessed by combining hospital capacity and admissions with case counts. Identify the color of your county and then look up the CDC guidance. For example: The CDC recommends getting vaccinated and boosted everywhere, regardless of immediate risk. And it says you should be tested if you’re sick no matter the local risk level. It gets a bit trickier when it comes to wearing a mask. If you live in a low-risk region, you don’t need to wear a mask. If you’re in a community with a medium level of virus and you’re at high risk for illness — maybe you’re immunocompromised or have an underlying medical condition — you should consult with your health-care provider and consider wearing a mask. And if you’re in a community with a high degree of coronavirus? Wear a mask in indoor public settings, including in schools. Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness . The CDC says the new metrics are designed to help you assess the risk in your community so that you can determine whether it might make sense to use extra precautions, depending on your location, health status and risk tolerance. In announcing the guidelines Friday, the CDC emphasized that the best mask is the one that offers you the best fit and filtration, such as an N95, and the one that you will wear consistently.

What about schools and public transportation?

The CDC said its guidance applies to all community settings — including schools. Under the agency’s new tiered system for monitoring risk, there would be no universal masking recommendation for schools in any county facing low or medium levels of coronavirus risk. But CDC officials said that in counties with high levels, they recommend that state and local officials keep requiring masks in schools. When it comes to travelers, the CDC’s new framework does not change requirements to wear masks on public transportation and in transport hubs.

What if you’re immunocompromised or have children younger than 5 who are not yet vaccinated?

The new guidance recommends setting priorities depending on your health status and the risks to those around you. For example, in medium-risk areas, the guidance suggests consulting a health-care provider about mask-wearing and other precautions if you are or somebody you have contact with is at potentially increased risk. In high-risk areas, everyone should wear a mask in indoor public settings. Anyone at risk for severe illness should wear a mask or respirator that provides greater protection. People who are not up to date on vaccination and children younger than 5 who are not yet eligible for a coronavirus vaccine should continue taking steps to prevent getting sick.

Is this a rule? Who actually calls the shots?

State and local officials have the power to impose mask or testing requirements, with many adopting the CDC’s guidance. Almost all states had relaxed indoor masking requirements by the time the CDC released its new framework. The guidance is meant to help people make their own choice about whether to mask up in their community, the CDC said.

Does this mean the pandemic is over?

No. The guidance represents an effort to address an evolving situation. Using the current metrics, about one-quarter of states are considered as having mostly high levels of risk, about half are mostly medium, and the remainder are mostly low. Officials say that the trajectory looks good and that they expect fewer cases in the future. But in a news conference Friday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, “None of us know what the future may hold.” A more contagious or more virulent variant could prompt the need for new precautions. Going forward, the CDC aims to be able to dial up and dial down recommendations based on the level of coronavirus in a community and the strain on health-care systems.

What you need to know about the CDC’s new coronavirus guidance

By Frances Stead Sellers

and

Salvador Rizzo

February 25, 2022 at 7:45 p.m. EST

People walk through Downtown Crossing in Boston on Feb. 9 as states start to drop mask mandates. (Adam Glanzman for The Washington Post)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new framework for dealing with the coronavirus Friday that eases recommendations on mask-wearing for much of the country — a move that arrives as many state and local officials had already taken such steps.

The guidelines illustrate that after more than two years of living with the virus, many communities have gained greater protection against severe illness through vaccination, treatments, better testing and higher-quality masks.

The guidance aims to allow individuals to assess personal risk based on their health status and conditions in their community, including case counts and hospital admissions and capacity. The goal is to protect people from severe illness and to prevent health-care systems from being overwhelmed.

The guidelines are intended to be flexible. The precautions can be ramped up if a new variant comes along that evades immunity conferred by vaccines and previous infections.

Here’s what you need to know:

Coronavirus: What you need to know

End of the public health emergency: The Biden administration ended the public health emergency for the coronavirus pandemic on May 11, just days after WHO said it would no longer classify the coronavirus pandemic as a public health emergency. Here’s what the end of the covid public health emergency means for you.

Tracking covid cases, deaths: Covid-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year with covid deaths dropping 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. See the latest covid numbers in the U.S. and across the world.

The latest on coronavirus boosters: The FDA cleared the way for people who are at least 65 or immune-compromised to receive a second updated booster shot for the coronavirus. Here’s who should get the second covid booster and when.

New covid variant: A new coronavirus subvariant, XBB. 1.16, has been designated as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization. The latest omicron offshoot is particularly prevalent in India. Here’s what you need to know about Arcturus.

Would we shut down again? What will the United States do the next time a deadly virus comes knocking on the door?

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