Protect Yourself Against COVID-19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

Former President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency on March 13, 2020.

Since the start of the pandemic, over 587,000 Americans have died from the virus and related complications, and nearly 4 million worldwide.

Since the start of the pandemic, the CDC has released guidelines to best protect yourself from COVID-19.

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart,
- except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
- You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
- However, you still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
- You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
- However, you do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.

Protect Yourself Against COVID-19

Everyone 2 years and older should wear masks in public.
Masks should be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart, especially around people who don’t live with you.
If someone in your household is infected, people in the household should take precautions including wearing masks to avoid spread to others.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before putting on your mask.
Wear your mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
Fit the mask snugly against the sides of your face, slipping the loops over your ears or tying the strings behind your head.
If you have to continually adjust your mask, it doesn’t fit properly, and you might need to find a different mask type or brand.
Make sure you can breathe easily.

Inside your home: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members.
Outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
- Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread the virus.
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from other people.
- Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Authorized COVID-19 vaccines can help protect you from COVID-19.
You should get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you.
Once you are fully vaccinated, you may be able to start doing some things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

Being in crowds like in restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters puts you at higher risk for COVID-19.
Avoid indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors as much as possible.
If indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
It’s especially important to wash:
- Before
  - Eating or preparing food
  - Touching your face
- After
  - Using the restroom
  - Leaving a public place
  - Blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  - Handling your mask
  - Changing a diaper
  - Caring for someone sick
  - Touching animals or pets
If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

CDC Guidelines to Protect Yourself Against COVID-19