The City's Health Department is re-evaluating the COVID alert level system that tracks COVID-19 transmission and health care capacity in the city.

There are currently high transmission levels of COVID-19 throughout the city, so you should continue to take the following precautions:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• Wear a face mask in public indoor settings and around crowds outside. Upgrade to higher-quality masks, including KN95, KF94, N95, or a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask.
• Get tested if you have symptoms or are at high-risk (age/underlying condition) and recently exposed, traveled to, or attended a large gathering.
• Stay home if sick or recently exposed. Follow all isolation and quarantine guidance, including wearing a face mask.
• Keep hands clean.

Learn more about COVID-19 alert levels and recommended actions.

Spread

The virus is most likely to spread to people who are within about 6 feet of an infected person. The virus is in droplets that are sprayed when a person coughs or sneezes, and possibly when they talk. Staying 6 feet away helps protect you from that spray.

Scientists disagree on how long COVID-19 lives on surfaces, but it can live on surfaces that people frequently touch. The virus can then be spread if someone touches their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands that have virus on them.

Scientists now believe that people who have no symptoms can spread the virus. However, people who are experiencing symptoms like coughing or sore throat are probably more likely to transmit the virus to others.

Prevention

To prevent coronavirus, you should take the same precautions that you would during cold and flu season:

Do:

• Get the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine.
• Stay home at all times if you are sick. If you’re not feeling any better after 3 to 4 days, contact your health care provider.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wear a face covering.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing. Do not use your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Keep at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others.
• Consider telecommuting, biking, or walking to work if possible.
• Consider staggering working hours. For example, instead of 9 AM to 5 PM, change some work hours to 10 AM to 6 PM or 8 AM to 4 PM.

Don’t:

• Touch your face with unwashed hands.
• Shake hands. Instead, wave.
• Go to the emergency room or other places to seek health care if you are not severely ill.
• Visit family or friends who are elderly or have compromised immune systems or chronic respiratory or coronary issues if you feel sick.

Cleaning and Disinfection Tips

• If a surface is dirty, first clean it using a detergent or soap and water before disinfecting.
• To disinfect a surface, use a diluted household bleach solution or an alcohol solution with at least 70% alcohol. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.
• Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation.
• Check that the product is not past its expiration date. Unexpired household bleach is effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
• Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.

The COVID-19 vaccine can prevent COVID-19 symptoms and severe COVID-19 illness.

There are currently three COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration:

• Pfizer BioNTech (also known as Comirnaty, which is pronounced "koe-mir-na-tee")
• Moderna
• Johnson and Johnson

The vaccines are administered through shots in the arm.

To learn more, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine page.

Vaccine Mandates

Who Must Wear a Face Covering

The City no longer requires face coverings or masks in public places.

Businesses, workplaces, and other private establishments are still allowed to require them for employees or customers.

City Agencies require face coverings for their employees in some situations. Learn about face covering rules for City workers.

Who Should Wear a Face Covering

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) recommends everyone wear masks in all public indoor settings and around crowds outside, even if you are vaccinated. This is especially important if you are at greater risk.

People at high-risk include those who:

• Are 65 or older
• Have an underlying medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19
• Care for someone who is sick
• Are in prolonged close contact with non-household members while indoors (such as people who regularly work in person with the members of the public)

Choosing a Face Covering

• Use a face covering with two or three layers of material to better prevent unfiltered air from passing through.
• Use face coverings made of tightly-woven fabric (fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source). Face coverings should be made of breathable fabric (like cotton), and not leather, plastic, or other materials that make it hard to breathe.
• Don't use a face covering with an exhalation valve as it allows unfiltered exhaled air to escape.

For New Yorkers at greater risk, DOHMH recommends two masks or considering higher-grade masks, such as a KN95 mask, which is similar in design and function to N95 masks used by healthcare workers.

Wearing a Face Covering

Make sure the face covering fits snugly against the sides of the face and fully covers both the nose and mouth, without slipping. Face coverings that fit loosely allow respiratory droplets to enter and leak out.

Tips to help you ensure a snug fit:

• Wear a cloth face covering over a disposable mask.
• Wear a face covering with a nose wire.
• Wear a face mask fitter or brace.
• Knot the ear loops and fold or tuck extra material.

Consider wearing two face coverings. Two face coverings may better protect you and others by adding layers and helping ensure a snug fit. If you decide to wear two face coverings, wear a cloth face covering over a disposable mask. Do not wear two disposable masks or a face covering over a higher-grade mask like a KN95, KF94, or N95.

Face Coverings at Home

• If you live with others and are sick, recently tested positive for COVID-19 or were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19 (unless you are alone in a separate room). You should also wear a mask when around pets, because people can spread COVID-19 to their pets.
• If someone else in your household is sick, recently tested positive for COVID-19 or was recently exposed to someone with COVID-19 (unless you are in a separate room from them).

You should also consider wearing a mask when people visit your home, if you or any visitors are unvaccinated or at high risk for severe COVID-19. You should ask your visitors to wear masks, too. 

Face Covering Care

Cloth face coverings should be washed once a day by hand or machine using detergent. Wear only when dry.

Paper face coverings are reusable until they become damaged, dirty, or wet.

Face Covering Posters

You can get posters displaying reminders of the need to wear a face covering when outside the home.

Go to the Health and Mental Hygiene Literature page to get free copies of these materials by mail or to download them online.

Symptoms

People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Some people do not have any symptoms. Most people will have mild to moderate symptoms and recover on their own.

Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath (trouble breathing)
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Older adults may show confusion or disorientation and experience falls.

This list does not include all possible symptoms.

If you have any of these symptoms and they are not due to a preexisting health condition like asthma or emphysema, you may have COVID-19 and you must stay home.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get a diagnostic test now – regardless of age, chronic conditions, or occupation – and then stay home.

Chronic Health Risks

People who are at most risk for severe illness are those who have health conditions including:

• Chronic lung disease
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• A weakened immune system
• Moderate to severe asthma
• Obesity
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease

An infection can result in death, but that is a rare outcome.

Close contact for exposure is defined as either:

• Being within approximately 6 feet of a person with coronavirus for a prolonged period. For example, sitting within 6 feet of the patient in a healthcare waiting area.
• Having direct contact with bodily fluids of someone infected. For example, being coughed on or touching used tissues with a bare hand.

COVID-19 diagnostic tests are used to determine if you currently have COVID-19. Diagnostic tests don't test for immunity or tell you if you had the virus in the past.

Free COVID-19 testing and anti-viral pills are available at Test-to-Treat mobile testing sites.

To find testing sites and learn how to get free at-home self-test kits, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing page.

If your symptoms are mild, you should stay home and monitor your condition.

Call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms and they do not improve in 3 to 4 days:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Cold or flu-like symptoms

You should try to contact your health care provider by phone rather than going to them in person.

If you can't get in contact with or don't have a health care provider, you can speak with a NYC Health + Hospitals clinician.

Most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, but some do not. “Long COVID” are the words people use to describe COVID health problems that last more than four weeks after first being infected with the COVID virus. 

Common symptoms of Long COVID are: 

• Tiredness or fatigue 
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”) 
• Headache 
• Loss of smell or taste 
• Dizziness on standing 
• Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations) 
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath 
• Cough
• Joint or muscle pain 
• Depression or anxiety 
• Fever 
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities 
• Chest Pain 

Learn more about Long COVID symptoms and available care options.

Long COVID AfterCare Program

NYC Health and Hospitals offers the AfterCare program for patients with Long COVID. If you would like medical care for Long COVID, you should contact your medical provider. 

Learn more about the Long COVID Aftercare program.

If you don’t have a medical provider, or if you want more information about the AfterCare program, you can get assistance by phone. Press 0 to get information on the Long COVID AfterCare program.

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19, as long as they do not have symptoms. They also no longer need to get tested for COVID-19, unless they have symptoms of COVID-19 or testing is required for work, school, or a specific activity.

While at home, you should monitor your health. Self-monitoring means you check yourself for fever and remain alert for COVID-19 symptoms which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and sore throat.

Isolate right away if you have symptoms or test positive. Go home and separate from others. Even if you do not have symptoms, do everything you can to not spread the virus to others:

• Stay isolated for at least five days from when your symptoms began (or if you had no symptoms, your test date).
• Keep isolating if you have had a fever in the last 24 hours or your symptoms are not improving after five days.

Learn about the best practices for self-isolation from the Centers for Disease Control.

Use the COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Guidance Tool.

Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a health condition that has appeared in children in New York City. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now confirmed there is a link to COVID-19.

Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to preventing long-term complications from MIS-C.

Most children have a fever lasting several days, along with other symptoms.

Common symptoms include:

• Irritability or sluggishness
• Abdominal pain without another explanation
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Rash
• Conjunctivitis, or red or pink eyes
• Enlarged gland on one side of the neck
• Red, cracked lips or red tongue that looks like a strawberry
• Swollen hands and feet, which might also be red

If your child becomes ill and has had a continued fever, call your doctor immediately.

If you do not have a doctor, go to the Find a Doctor page to speak to an NYC Health + Hospitals clinician.

Pregnancy, Newborns, and Breastfeeding

You can get information about the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy, newborn babies, and breastfeeding.

Online

Get the "Guidance for People Who Are Pregnant, Breastfeeding or Caring for Newborns" sheet.

By Phone

Vaccine Mandate

Transmission from Animals

At this time there is no evidence that companion animals, including pets, play a significant role in spreading COVID-19. The virus that causes COVID-19 appears to be transmitted exclusively from person to person.

Transmission to Animals

The CDC is aware of a small number of pets becoming sick with COVID-19, including both cats and dogs. Only a few of the animals who tested positive showed signs of illness, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. Until more is known about transmission, the CDC recommends that people with symptoms restrict contact with their pets.

Learn more about COVID-19 and animals.

Pets

If you are sick, restrict contact with your pets and have another member of your household care for your animals.

Test & Trace Corps provides animal services for people who have COVID-19 and need to safely separate but need assistance with their pet.

Learn more about available animal services.

You should have a plan to keep your pets safe if you have a medical emergency and are unable to care for them.

Learn how to create a pet emergency plan.

Travel to New York State

As of June 25, 2021, the New York State Travel Advisory is no longer in effect. Travelers arriving in New York are no longer required to submit traveler health forms.

All travelers, domestic and international, should continue to follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel requirements.

The CDC recommends:

• Fully vaccinated travelers who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months to get tested 3-5 days after arrival in New York from international travel.
• All unvaccinated travelers who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months to get tested 3-5 days after arrival in New York, consider non-mandated self-quarantine (7 days if tested on day 3-5, otherwise 10 days), and avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe disease for 14 days, regardless of test result.

Travelers that are symptomatic must immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare providers to determine if they should seek COVID-19 testing.

Regardless of quarantine status, all individuals exposed to COVID-19 or returning from travel must:

• Continue daily symptom monitoring through Day 14;
• Continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face coverings, through Day 14 (even if fully vaccinated);
• Must immediately self-isolate if any symptoms develop and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.

Learn more about CDC guidance for:

• Domestic travelers
• International travelers

Travel to Other States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise residents to be mindful of domestic travel. 

You should delay travel until you are fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, follow CDC’s guidelines for unvaccinated people.

People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization can travel safely within the United States.

CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, as rates of COVID-19 change, and as additional scientific evidence becomes available. This guidance applies to travel within the United States and U.S. territories.

Learn more about travel guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated people.