Department Resources

Protect Yourself & Slow the Spread of COVID-19

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Your actions keep all of us healthy.

The end of the federal public health emergency does not mean that COVID-19 is over. COVID-19 is still making people sick in our community. We continue to encourage you to take steps to protect yourself, your family, and those around you.

Get a vaccine and stay up to date.

If you are 6 months or older, get a COVID-19 vaccine. Stay up to date by getting all of the recommended COVID-19 vaccines for you. They are safe and effective.

Whatever you do, stay safe.

Stay informed. Consider what activities you would like to do and what you need to know to stay safe.

Get tested.

Know when and how to get tested. Treat early.

Stay away from others if sick and inform contacts.

Stay home and away from others if you are sick and inform your close contacts. Follow guidance if you’ve been in close contact with someone who is sick.

Keep up the healthy habits.

Practicing healthy habits to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

Stay up to date with you COVID-19 vaccine.

The best way to protect yourself from serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19 is to stay up to date with your vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Find out if you are up to date.

An updated COVID-19 vaccine can help restore protection that has decreased since your previous vaccination and more closely target variants that are currently causing disease. These updated These updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine are now available for children as young as 6 months.

Find a vaccine at vaccines.gov.

Whatever you do, stay safe.

We have the tools to protect ourselves and others. Stay informed and know when to take preventions steps.

Stay informed.

Recommendations and guidance are updated based on the latest information.

Your own personal situation may also change, which means you may need to consider taking additional steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safer. For example, consider if you or a family member receives a new medical diagnosis, you start a new job or you welcome a new baby or family member who is high risk for severe illness into your home.

Stay connected, stay informed. Look for updates on our COVID-19 website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Improve ventilation and spending time outdoors

Being places that don’t offer fresh air and in crowds increases your risk of getting COVID-19.

Improving ventilation (moving air into, out of, or within a room) and filtration (trapping particles on a filter to remove them from the air) can help prevent virus particles from accumulating in indoor air. This helps protect you from getting infected with and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. See more tips on improving indoor ventilation.
Spending time outside when possible instead of inside can also help reduce your risk. Viral particles spread between people more readily indoors than outdoors.
If someone you live with is sick, avoid close contact, if possible. If you are taking care of someone who is sick, make sure you properly wear a well-fitting, high quality mask and follow other steps to protect yourself.

Masks can help protect you and others from COVID-19.

While masks are no longer required in most settings, you can choose to wear a mask any time you are indoors or in crowds.

You should still always wear a mask if you have symptoms and for 10 days after a positive test. If you were exposed, wearing a mask for 10 days after exposure may help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others. See this guidance if you were sick or exposed.

Select a mask with the best fit and protection. A mask should fit well and cover your nose and mouth. Some masks and respirators offer more protection (N95, KN95 and KF94) than others. See this guide for more information and find free N95 respirators.

See more guidance and tips for wearing a mask.

Travel Safely.

When you travel, plan ahead. Check on the COVID-19 situation before you are traveling, both within and outside the U.S. Different locations may have higher levels of COVID-19 than where you live. There may also be different requirements for testing and masking for travelers.

Make sure you are up to date on your vaccines before traveling.

Do not travel if you are sick, if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or if you tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days.

See travel guidance from the CDC.

Get Tested.

Get tested for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms or if you spent time with someone who has symptoms/tested positive for COVID-19. If you have symptoms, getting tested is the only way to know if you have COVID-19 or another virus.

It will also help let you know the steps you need to take for your health and to stop from spreading disease to others. If you test positive, there may be treatments available if you are at risk for becoming very sick.

Know the right time and how to test so that you are more likely to get correct results.

See testing guidance

Stay Away From Others if Sick and Inform Contacts.

If you have COVID-19, you can spread it to others, even if you do not have symptoms. It is important you follow the guidance for staying away from others, including those you live with, unless you are seeking health care. Stay home if you:

Have any symptoms of COVID-19
Are waiting for test results. If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
Have tested positive for COVID-19

If you have COVID-19, follow the guidance for how long to stay away from others. If you are at higher risk of getting very sick, contact your healthcare provider to see if you are eligible for treatment. Early treatment can prevent you from getting sicker.

You should also identify and inform your close contacts. Notify everyone you have been in close contact with about your illness and share guidance about what they should do. This includes everyone you have been within 6 feet of for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, beginning two days before you developed symptoms or two days before you took your COVID-19 test, if you do not have symptoms.

Informing your contacts is important because the Health Department is no longer conducting general public, individual case investigation contact investigations.

Need information on what to do if you are caring for someone who is sick? See this information from the CDC.

See steps to Slow the Spread of COVID-19

Wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes.

The more healthy habits you adopt, the better you can prevent getting and spreading respiratory viruses like COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

Simply washing your hands correctly and frequently can lower your chance of getting sick and spreading germs to others. You should always wash your hands before you touch your nose, mouth and eyes — for example, when changing contact lenses.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with the inside of your elbow or a tissue, if you are not wearing a mask. If you are wearing a mask, you can cough or sneeze into your mask. Put on a new, clean mask as soon as possible and wash your hands.

See more healthy habits.

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Department Resources

Protect Yourself & Slow the Spread of COVID-19

Your actions keep all of us healthy.

Get a vaccine and stay up to date.

Whatever you do, stay safe.

Get tested.

Stay away from others if sick and inform contacts.

Keep up the healthy habits.

Stay up to date with you COVID-19 vaccine.

Whatever you do, stay safe.

Stay informed.

Improve ventilation and spending time outdoors

Masks can help protect you and others from COVID-19.

Travel Safely.

Get Tested.

Stay Away From Others if Sick and Inform Contacts.

Wash your hands and cover coughs and sneezes.

Your Toolbox for Slowing the Spread of COVID-19 in Fairfax

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