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COVID-19 - Reliable Information Resources: Reopening for Business

This continuously updated guide includes information and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 2023, many specialized websites and information gathering projects are no longer being updated; some of these have been removed.

-updated 9-7-22-

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an official health advisory on COVID-19 misinformation. Please see the Fighting Misinformation and Tips & Tools pages for information and strategies addressing this important issue.

Reopening after extensive closure on state and local level requires careful and strategic planning. This page explores some of the guidances and protocols we can expect to see in the next few months.

Open Safely

#OpenSafely is a website designed to serve as hub for the latest information on reopening policies and procedures from government and health professionals. Click here for guidance on reopening governments, workplaces and communities.

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TOPCATS

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TOPCATS, the Task Force on Post COVID-19 Alignment, Trends and Strategies in New Jersey Libraries, is a statewide group of library leaders formed to explore issues, strategies, and solutions relative to the reopening of libraries. Resources include news, best practices, staff training materials and advocacy and communication strategies.

 

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Act Now

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Covid Act Now is a website created by a team of technologists, health experts, and public policy leaders that plots the latest models for potential spread of COVID-19 in America's communities in order to assist in reopening planning. It includes a tool that provides up-to-date case data and risk level by zip code.

Assess Your Risk

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Photo: Ida Nilsing, StockholmDirekt

Thinking about venturing out? Dr. Leana Wen of the George Washington University School of Public Health offers four key guidelines that should guide you in assessing your personal risk.

  • Relative Risk - Includes three key variables: proximity, activity and time. Highest risk is close contact indoors, activities (like singing) in which droplets can spread, and exposure over an extended time period.
  • Pooled Risk - Engaging in high-risk activity near others who do the same increases everyone’s risk.
  • Cumulative Risk - Risk of acquiring COVID-19 is additive for every person someone come into close contact with; in other words, it adds up. The more activities/close contact, the more risk.
  • Collective Risk - The higher the rate of COVID-19 in a community, the more likely any one individual you come into contact with has the virus and the riskier interactions become.