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Advice for the public: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

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Small public gatherings and COVID-19

Transmission

Getting vaccinated

How to report misinformation

This page includes advice from WHO on ways to protect yourself and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The downloadable infographics below provide guidance on general and specific topics related to the pandemic.

Stay aware of the latest COVID-19 information by regularly checking updates from WHO in addition to national and local public health authorities.

Find out more about getting vaccinated:

• Advice for the public: COVID-19 vaccines

Keep yourself and others safe: Do it all!

Protect yourself and those around you:

• Get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn and follow local guidance on vaccination.
• Keep physical distance of at least 1 metre from others, even if they don’t appear to be sick. Avoid crowds and close contact.
• Wear a properly fitted mask when physical distancing is not possible and in poorly ventilated settings.
• Clean your hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of used tissues immediately and clean hands regularly. 
• If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, self-isolate until you recover.

Wear a mask properly

To properly wear your mask:

• Make sure your mask covers your nose, mouth and chin.
• Clean your hands before you put your mask on, before and after you take it off, and after you touch it at any time.
• When you take off your mask, store it in a clean plastic bag, and every day either wash it if it’s a fabric mask or dispose of it in a trash bin if it’s a medical mask.
• Don’t use masks with valves.

More about masks:

• When and how to wear masks
• Questions and answers about children and masks
• Guidance for decision makers and health workers

Make your environment safer

The risks of getting COVID-19 are higher in crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected people spend long periods of time together in close proximity.

Outbreaks have been reported in places where people have gather, often in crowded indoor settings and where they talk loudly, shout, breathe heavily or sing such as restaurants, choir practices, fitness classes, nightclubs, offices and places of worship.

To make your environment as safe as possible:

• Avoid the 3Cs: spaces that are c losed, c rowded or involve c lose contact.
• Meet people outside. Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor ones, particularly if indoor spaces are small and without outdoor air coming in.
• If you can’t avoid crowded or indoor settings, take these precautions:
• Open a window to increase the amount of natural ventilation when indoors.
• Wear a mask (see above for more details).
• Small public gatherings
• Ventilation and air conditioning (for the general public)
• Ventilation and air conditioning (for people who manage public spaces and buildings) 

Keep good hygiene

By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses that cause colds, flu and COVID-19. 

To ensure good hygiene you should:

• Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with either an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. This eliminates germs that may be on your hands, including viruses.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of the used tissue immediately into a closed bin and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently, especially those which are regularly touched, such as door handles, faucets and phone screens.

What to do if you feel unwell

If you feel unwell, here’s what to do. 

• If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention immediately. Call by telephone first and follow the directions of your local health authority.
• Know the full range of symptoms of COVID-19. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, tiredness and loss of taste or smell. Less common symptoms include aches and pains, headache, sore throat, red or irritated eyes, diarrhoea,  a skin rash or discolouration of fingers or toes.
• Stay home and self-isolate for 10 days from symptom onset, plus three days after symptoms cease. Call your health care provider or hotline for advice. Have someone bring you supplies. If you need to leave your house or have someone near you, wear a properly fitted mask to avoid infecting others.
• Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as WHO or your local and national health authorities. Local and national authorities and public health units are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.

How COVID-19 infects people and how our bodies react.

Be a champion in the fight against COVID-19

We're all on the same team in bringing an end to the spread of COVID-19

Cheering for your favorite athletes, players and teams? keep your mask on!

3 Factors to help you make safer choices

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19

Shopping for groceries: COVID-19

What to do if someone is sick in you household

Visiting family in a long-term care facility

Don't put off necessary medical appointments

How to prepare in case someone gets sick in your household

I just found out that I'm a confirmed contact for COVID-19

I just found out I have COVID-19

Coronavirus disease (covid-19): home care for health workers and administrators coronavirus disease (covid-19): home care for health workers and administrators, how to visit healthcare facilities safely.

COVID-19: When going to any health care facility

COVID-19 symptoms and flu

COVID-19: Coronavirus Symptoms

COVID-19 & Flu: Are you caring for children under the age of 5?

COVID-19 & Flu: Are you a health worker?

COVID-19 & Flu: Do you live in an area with other infectious diseases?

COVID-19 & Flu: Are you 60 or older?

COVID-19 & Flu: Do you have chronic health conditions?

Protect yourself and others from getting sick.

Wash your hands

Protect yourself and others - wash your hands

Protect others from getting sick

How to protect yourself from COVID-19

Alcohol-based handrub: WHO essential medicine

COVID-19: The amount of alcohol-based sanitizer you use matters

It is safer to frequently clean your hands and not wear gloves

COVID-19: FACT: Alcohol-based sanitizers can be used in religions where alcohol is prohibited

COVID-19: Alcohol-based sanitizers are safe for everyone to use

COVID-19: Should I avoid handshaking?

COVID-19: Wearing rubber gloves?

How can I grocery shop safely in the time of COVID-19?

How should I wash fruit and vegetable in the tie of COVID-19?

Can COVID-19 be spread through coins and backnotes?

COVID-19: How should I do laundry?

COVID-19: How should I do laundry for someone with COVID-19?

COVID-19: Be smart - 1

COVID-19: Be smart - 2

COVID-19: Be smart - 3

COVID-19: Be smart - 4

COVID-19: Be smart - 5

COVID-19: Be smart - 6

COVID-19: Be smart - 7

COVID-19: Be smart - 8

COVID-19: Be smart - 9

Homecare for people with COVID-19: ill people

Homecare for people with COVID-19: Members of the household

Homecare for people with COVID-19: Caregivers

Homecare for people with COVID-19: ill people - square

Home care for COVID-19: Guide for family and caregivers

Homecare for people with COVID-19: Members of the household - square

What to do if someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19

Homecare for people with COVID-19: Caregivers - square

What to do in your household if your child tests positive for COVID-19

Pregnancy & breastfeeding.

Updated 31 March 2020

I'm pregnant. How can I protect myself from COVID-19?

Before, during and after childbirth, all women have the right to high quality hair

A safe and positive childbirth, whether or not they have COVID-19

A woman with COVID-19 shoud be supported to breastfeed safely

Women with COVID-19 can breastfeed safely

If a women is too sick with COVID-19 to breastfeed

How to cope with stress.

Coping with stress during COVID-19 outbreak

Helping children cope with stress during COVID-19 outbreak

#HealthyAtHome

Staying physically active

Healthy diet

Healthy parenting

Quitting tobacco

Mental health

Masks Strongly Recommended but Not Required in Maryland, Starting Immediately

Due to the downward trend in respiratory viruses in Maryland, masking is no longer required but remains strongly recommended in Johns Hopkins Medicine clinical locations in Maryland. Read more .

• Vaccines  
• Masking Guidelines
• Visitor Guidelines  

Staying Safe from COVID-19

Reviewed By:

Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spreads primarily from person to person through respiratory droplets. This can happen when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes, sings or talks when close to others. By closely following a few safety measures, you can help protect yourself and others from getting sick.

Lisa Maragakis , senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, shares these guidelines: 

Get vaccinated for COVID-19 and get a booster as soon as you’re eligible

Several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use among specific age groups and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Johns Hopkins Medicine views all authorized COVID-19 vaccines as highly effective at preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

Learn more about coronavirus vaccine safety and COVID-19 boosters .

Be aware of infection rates in your area

As more people get vaccinated, the rates of infection and hospitalization will vary in your area. For the foreseeable future, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the vaccination and COVID-19 data for your area and follow the local, state and federal safety guidelines.

Practice physical distancing

The coronavirus spreads mainly from person to person. If an infected person coughs or sneezes, their droplets can infect people nearby. People, including children, may be infected and have only mild symptoms, so physical distancing (staying at least 6 feet apart from others) is an important part of coronavirus protection.

Wear a mask

Wear a face mask in crowded, indoor situations since people carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus and unvaccinated or vulnerable people might be present. Johns Hopkins Medicine and other health care institutions require all visitors, patients and staff to wear masks in all of their hospitals, treatment centers and offices. Learn more information about how  masks  help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Practice hand hygiene

• After being in public places and touching door handles, shopping carts, elevator buttons or handrails
• After using the bathroom
• Before preparing food or eating
• If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
• If you cough or sneeze, do so in the bend of your elbow. If you use a tissue, throw it away immediately.

Take precautions if you are living with or caring for someone who is sick

• Wear a mask if you are caring for someone who has respiratory symptoms.
• Clean counters, door knobs, phones and tablets frequently, using disinfectant cleaners or wipes.

If you feel sick, follow these guidelines:

• Stay home  if you feel sick  unless you are experiencing a medical emergency such as severe shortness of breath.
• Take measures to keep others in your home safe, and follow precautions recommended by the CDC to avoid infecting others .
• Call your doctor or urgent care facility and explain your symptoms over the phone.
• If you leave your home to get medical care, wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

What you need to know from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Trauma Team Puts an Athlete Back in the Saddle

Patient Safety Infographic

Comparación entre la COVID-19 y la gripe

Related Topics

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Face-to-face classes during COVID-19: a call for deliberate and well-planned school health protocols in the Philippine context

Philip joseph d sarmiento.

Christian Living Education Department, Holy Angel University, Angeles 2009, Philippines

Cora Lyn T Sarmiento

Sto. Rosario Elementary School, Department of Education-Schools Division of Angeles City, Angeles 2009, Philippines

Rina Lyn B Tolentino

Angeles Elementary School, Department of Education-Schools Division of Angeles City, Angeles 2009, Philippines

Schooling is one of the most affected aspects of human life due to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In a recent correspondence published, the authors reminded every country of their responsibility to come up with strategies to reopen schools safely. This paper reiterates the adherence of school health protocols as significant in the delivery of face-to-face classes following national and international guidelines in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 pandemic as a public health crisis.

Schooling is one of the most affected aspects of human life due to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Since the rise and threat of the pandemic, many countries around the world have decided to temporarily close schools that have affected millions of students. 1 Consequently, students who are mostly children have been facing a learning crisis due to the pandemic. 2 In a recent correspondence published in this journal, the authors cited that every country has the responsibility to come up with strategies to reopen schools in a safe manner. 3

In the Philippines, the government’s Department of Education has come up with guidelines to implement online and modular distance learning delivery of instruction. 4 This is to safeguard students from being infected by the disease. However, plans to conduct the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face delivery in low-risk areas of COVID-19 transmission for January 2021 have been approved by the president 5 but later recalled 6 due to the threat of the new strain of COVID-19. Predicaments are raised whether the country is ready to open its schools for students to go for face-to-face learning despite having been one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world.

School reopening for face-to-face interactions must be carefully planned to ensure the safety of students as well as teachers and school staff in a staged fashion especially in following physical distancing. 7 , 8 Planning and execution of school health protocols during this pandemic must be supported by the truthful data 9 being given by various institutions. Last 11 December 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a checklist to support school reopening and the preparation for the possible resurgence of COVID-19. 10 WHO cited that ‘The checklist is aligned with, and builds upon, existing COVID-19-related WHO guidelines and is structured around protective measures related to: 1) hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette; 2) physical distancing; 3) use of masks in schools; 4) environmental cleaning and ventilation; and 5) respecting procedures for isolation of all people with symptoms.’ 10 The checklist helps policymakers and school officials to enhance compliance and adherence to public health protocols in the time of the pandemic. 10

In conclusion, school health protocols in conducting face-to-face classes must be planned carefully following national and international guidelines to ensure that students will be safe or at least mitigate the effects of COVID-19. After all, students’ lives matter as education does to them. That is the responsibility of every government to ensure its fulfillment.

Acknowledgment

No funding was received from this paper.

Contributor Information

Philip Joseph D Sarmiento, Christian Living Education Department, Holy Angel University, Angeles 2009, Philippines.

Cora Lyn T Sarmiento, Sto. Rosario Elementary School, Department of Education-Schools Division of Angeles City, Angeles 2009, Philippines.

Rina Lyn B Tolentino, Angeles Elementary School, Department of Education-Schools Division of Angeles City, Angeles 2009, Philippines.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest in this paper.

Authors’ contribution

All authors contributed to all aspects of the manuscript.

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Conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas: A Visual Explainer

A Ukrainian service member walks along fighting positions on the contact line near the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk, on 13 February 2021.

REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko

This page was designed as a resource to understand the conflict in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. It provides critical background and downloadable data on the fighting that preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 22 February 2022.

We are no longer updating this page but you can find all our latest work on Russia’s war in Ukraine here .

If you want direct access to all the data Crisis Group collected over the course of the project, visit its repository, made available here: https://crisisgroup.github.io/donbas-data-repo/

The data in this explainer is accurate as of early 2022 and it is available in downloadable form for those seeking information regarding this history. We hope you find it valuable.

The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine started in 2014. Between then and early 2022, it had already killed over 14,000 people. 

On 24 February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine on several fronts beginning a major invasion. Ukraine's president declared martial law, vowing stiff resistance, as Western powers condemned Moscow's actions. Crisis Group will be covering this crisis in depth as it develops [ see our Ukraine page ]. The visual explainer below focuses not on the full-scale escalation that began on 24 February, but on fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. This provides crucial background for understanding what is happening today.

The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine started in 2014. Between then and early 2022, it had already  killed over 14,000 people. Over the course of eight years, Ukrainian government forces fought  Russian-backed separatists for control over much of the two heavily industrialised regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, also known as Donbas. Fierce battles in 2014-2015 ended with one third of the regions' territory, its most urbanised part, occupied by two Russian proxy statelets, the  self-described Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Between September 2014 and February 2015, Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany signed several iterations of the so-called Minsk agreements, which eventually stopped the forward movement of troops and reduced fighting significantly. But the agreements were never implemented, and the fighting transformed into a trench war, with roughly 75,000 troops facing off along a 420-km-long front line cutting through densely populated areas. The war ruined the area's economy and heavy industries, forced millions to relocate and turned the conflict zone into one of the world’s most mine-contaminated areas.

This visual explainer shows both the human cost of the war from 2014-early 2022 and the relationships between diplomatic efforts at de-escalation and patterns of fighting and loss of life.

Mapping Casualties

REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Our two interactive heat maps show military fatalities and civilian casualties (deaths and injuries), broken down by month, and according to the location at which the incident occurred. Maps are centered on the combat zone – the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, divided along community boundaries. Both maps illustrate how the war's impact stretches far beyond military positions.

Fatalities by Community (Combatants and Civilians)

Military and Civilian Casualties By Location

Download CSV

Download XLSX

Some months saw heavier fighting, and more deaths and injuries than others. Geographically, casualties tended to be concentrated where the sides were especially close to key infrastructure, to each other, or both. You can hover over the heat map and click on individual communities to get a sense of how casualties fluctuated over time, and where they occurred most often.

Civilian casualty data in this heat map includes those killed and injured by live fire – in artillery or mortar strikes, or by bullet wounds from rifles or heavy machine guns. It also includes victims of landmines or explosive remnants of war, as well as those who died of natural causes queuing at checkpoints to cross into or from Ukrainian government-controlled territory. [fn]

A Breakdown of Casualties by Category and Cause

SPUTNIK/Sergey Averin

Casualties by Cause

Shelling and Negotiations

Armed Forces of Ukraine/ANADOLU AGENCY/Anadolu Agency via AFP

The intensity of the fighting differs from month to month. Our way to measure it is to rely on numbers of explosions as recorded by the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE SMM) on a daily basis. The SMM was the only international observer mission allowed to collect information from all sides, and its data, while incomplete, remains the best available.

To illustrate the correlation between diplomatic efforts and the dynamics of warfare, we provide the dates of ceasefire recommitments, overlaid on this chart showing the rise and decline of explosions over time. The number of reported explosions often decreased after ceasefires, only to rise again in the absence of a durable settlement.

In 2021-22 two Russian military build-ups along the Ukrainian border foreshadowed an escalation, one in March and April 2021 and a second one in December 2021 through February 2022. Both these phases also saw an increase in reports that the OSCE Missions were denied access to the war zone by  armed formations.  This means that with the invasion drawing closer, the visibility of what was going on in the Donbas conflict zone declined. Eventually, on 24 February 2022, the day of the invasion, the OSCE announced it would evacuate its Mission. On 8 March, all of its international staff had left Ukraine. Local  Mission members will remain in administrative functions in anticipation of the Mission’s revival, but the OSCE has suspended its reporting activities. https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine/513424

The decision of the Russian government to recognize the independence of the two separatist republics on 21 February 2022 effectively put an end to discussions of Minsk implementation. Three days later, Russia invaded Ukraine, heralding a new phase of the war with a scope of violence far beyond what is depicted here.

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