New Live Map Of COVID-19 Hotspots Is Perfect For U.S. Traveling

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There are a couple of international maps that give information on how many cases and deaths from coronavirus each country has (this one, from John Hopkins, is my favorite). In the U.S., you can also check each individual state’s progress (or lack of same) with the virus by going to each state’s respective Department of Health website.

But if you wanted to get an idea of how we were doing as a country, county by county, there were few, if any places you could look. You might be able to find a snapshot in time from 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months ago, but rarely a live, interactive map.

That’s now been fixed.

Harvard Global Health Institute, Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Rockefeller Foundation, CovidActNow, Covid-Local, CIDRAP and other organizations have joined forces to create a new COVID Risk Level map. The interactive online tool allows users to see the levels of community spread in different areas of the U.S., on a state and/or county level.

Here’s a recent snapshot of the map:

Each area on the map falls into one of four color-coded risk-level categories – Green, Yellow, Orange or Red. Each color is based on the number of new COVID-19 cases reported each day, and the site offers recommendations, ranging from monitoring with viral testing and contact tracing to stay-at-home orders.

“The public needs clear and consistent information about COVID risk levels in different jurisdictions for personal decision-making, and policy-makers need clear and consistent visibility that permits differentiating policy across jurisdictions,” said Danielle Allen, Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University.

The website has other helpful opportunities for community leaders, such as viral testing targets, hospital capacity, and other resources appropriate for professionals. But from a travel point of view, this interactive map gives an excellent view of where the trouble areas are.

Of course, you should always take precautions of social distancing and wearing a facial covering, regardless. But if you’re planning travels, knowing that you can be a little more at ease in, let’s say the entire state of Maine, but should really keep your guard up in Orange County (Orlando) Florida, and can see how their numbers could go up or down or over, can be very helpful.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary