CMS map for congregate care settings to determine county transmission levels
By Todd Bergstrom | March 24, 2023 | All members
The CMS map shown below is used to determine if a facility is in a “high” transmission county or a “not high” (not high refers to counties determined to be substantial, moderate, or low) transmission level. The thresholds in this map should be used by both nursing facilities and assisted living facilities to determine if masking (source control) is required or not required in facilities (for staff, residents, and visitors).
When a county’s community transmission level is high, masking (source control) is recommended for everyone in a healthcare setting when they are in areas of the facility where they could encounter residents. Healthcare staff could choose to not wear masks when they are in well-defined areas that are restricted from resident access (e.g., staff meeting rooms).
When a county’s community level is not high (substantial, moderate, or low levels), healthcare facilities could choose not to require universal masking (source control) for staff, residents, and visitors. However, even if source control is not universally required, it remains recommended for individuals in a healthcare setting who:
- Have suspected or confirmed COVID-19
- Have other respiratory infection (e.g., runny nose, cough, sneezing)
- Have, within the past 10 days, had close contract or a high-risk exposure with someone COVID-19 positive
- Reside or work on a unit experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak
- Are unvaccinated healthcare workers (with exceptions on file) IF masking is a mitigation strategy used by the facility
Minnesota’s map for:
- Current seven-days is Thursday, March 9–Wednesday, March 15, 2023, for case rate, and Tuesday, March 7–Monday, March 13, 2023, for percent positivity
- The percent change in counties at each level of transmission is the absolute change compared to the previous seven-day period
The map is found here. When on the webpage, select
Minnesota from the State or Territory pull-down menu, and then select
Community Transmission from the Data Type pull -down menu…
do not select COVID-19 Community Levels from the Data Type pull-down menu—as that metric is not used for healthcare (if the map shows any green, it is the wrong map). Data is updated daily, Monday through Friday.
Todd Bergstrom | Director of Research and Data Analysis |
tbergstrom@careproviders.org | 952-851-2486