PHSM Tiers in Africa

Data shown through Week 31: 31 Jul - 6 Aug 2023

The purpose of this dashboard is to act as a tool for Africa CDC and regional partners to demonstrate PHSM tiers, using continental-level indicators and thresholds identified below. This dashboard relies on publicly available data and in no way represents PERCs view on which COVID-19 PHSM policies should or should not be in place. The accompanying PHSM framework describes how countries can adapt the indicators on this dashboard to develop their own national COVID-19 tiered PHSM system.

Please email covid19-eiu@vitalstrategies.org with any questions or feedback.

PHSM Tier

Note: The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the African Union.

COVID-19 PHSM Tiers and Thresholds

Core Indicators	Tier 0 No data available	Tier 1 Standard precautions	Tier 2 Low alert	Tier 3 Moderate alert	Tier 4 High alert
Daily case incidence (new cases per 1M people per day, 7 day average)	n/a	<5	5- <20	20 - <80	≥80
Test positivity rate (last 14 days)	n/a	<3%	3% - <5%	5% - <12%	≥12%

Other Dashboards and Guidance

For an overview of other approaches to designing alert levels, PHSM policy, or early warning systems, visit our Summary of COVID-19 Response Guidance Documents.
For more information on variants, visit Africa CDC Institute of Pathogen Genomics’ SARS-CoV-2 sequencing dashboard.
For information on vaccinations, visit the Africa CDC Vaccine Dashboard.

PHSM Recommendations by Tier

The evidence base supporting the recommendations in this table is available in the framework appendices.

Activity or Sector	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4
School: Early childhood and Primary	All in-person	All in-person Students at desks to extent possible; recess in cohorts ¹	All in-person Reduced capacity to maintain 2 metres between students with students at desks; cohorting of students at all times	Staggered² or partially remote³ if possible Reduced capacity to maintain 2 metres between students with students at desks; cohorting of students at all times
School: Secondary	All in-person	All in-person If possible, maintain 2 metres between students with students at desks, meals in classrooms, cohorting of students at all times	Staggered or partially remote, if possible Reduced capacity to allow 2 metres between students with students at desks; cohorting of students	Staggered or partially/fully remote, if possible Reduced capacity so 2 metres between students with students at desks; cohorting of students
Higher Ed	All in-person	All in-person Maintain 2 metres between students in classrooms and public areas	Staggered or partially remote, if possible Maintain 2 metres between students in classrooms; capacity limit in public and recreational areas	Full remote or consider full-time on campus (i.e., no leaving campus), if possible Maintain 2 metres between students in classroom; capacity limit in public and recreational areas
Premises where alcohol consumed	Open	Indoor: Limit capacity and seated only Minimum 2 metres between parties indoor/outdoor	Indoor: Closed Outdoor: Open with limited capacity, seated only, minimum 2 metres between parties AND early closure	Closed (curbside/pick-up/take-away available)
Restaurants - without liquor sales	Open	Indoor: Limit capacity Minimum 2 metres between parties indoor/outdoor	Indoor: Closed Outdoor: Open with limited capacity, seated only, AND minimum 2 metres between parties	Closed (curbside/pick-up/take-away available)
Indoor workplaces (offices, factories)	Open	Work remotely where possible Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 2 metres between people; minimize movement within workplace	Work remotely where possible, no in-person meetings Limit capacity to maintain minimum 2 metres between people; minimize movement within workplace	Remote or closed except essential staff
Outdoor workplaces (farms, construction)	Open	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 1 metre between people	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 1 metre between people	Only essential open Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 2 metres between people
Indoor retail (including grocery stores)	Open	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 2 metres between people	Open for certain hours, specifically open only for vulnerable populations Limit capacity of large indoor venues (i.e., malls) to 50% and maintain minimum 2 metres between people	Closed except essential: (curbside/pick-up/take-away available for all) Capacity for essential: Maximum 20% AND minimum 2 metres physical distancing
Outdoor market	Open	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 1 metre between people	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 2 metres between people	Limit capacity as necessary to maintain minimum 2 metres between people; unidirectional foot traffic
Places of Worship, Weddings, Funerals	Open	Maintain 2 metres distancing between households indoors; outdoors preferred Masks obligatory if singing indoors	No indoor services Limit capacity outdoors AND minimum 2 metres between households; no singing	Remote or virtual if possible; if not, outdoor services only; no singing
Gyms/Fitness	Open Full, as long as 2 metres distancing is maintained while exercising	Limited capacity AND at least 3 metres distancing while exercising Masks must be worn; no indoor group classes; locker rooms closed	Closed for all indoor activities. Open for outdoor exercising with least 3 metres distancing Masks must be worn; no group classes	Closed
Events (concerts, conferences, exhibitions, elections)	Open	Indoor venues: Maintain 2 metres distancing between households Outdoor venues: Limited capacity, masks obligatory	Indoor venues: All closed Outdoor venues: Limited capacity with 2 metres distancing between households Masks obligatory	Closed
Cultural institutions (museums, libraries, zoos, gardens)	Open	Limited capacity outdoor Indoor allowed if 2 metres distancing is possible and masks are obligatory	Indoor: Closed Outdoor: Limited capacity if 2 metres distancing is possible, and masks are obligatory	Closed
Sports and recreation (includes players and spectators)	Open	Limited capacity indoor AND 2 metres between spectator parties Spectators to wear masks Contact sports (football, wrestling, rugby): professional and amateur (non-recreational) athletes only Recreational teams: Non-contact only, outdoor only; teams limited to 10 people; no travel	Individual outdoor exercise allowed Group sports open only to professional athletes; closed to spectators; limited travel, if possible	Individual outdoor exercise only
Personal care (e.g. salon, spa, barber, nails, massage)	Open	Limited capacity AND 2 metres between patrons Masks must be worn	Indoor closed unless 2 metres between patron and service provider possible	Closed
Private social gatherings	Open	Maximum 50 people AND 2 metres distancing between households; outdoors preferred	Outdoor only Maximum 2 households AND 2 metres distancing between households	Own household only
Public transport	Open	Mask required for all passengers and drivers; vehicles max 70% capacity	Mask required for all passengers and drivers; Motorcycles: 1 passenger max Other vehicles: Middle seats empty, max 70% capacity for short trips and max 50% capacity for long-distance trips Private car: 2 passengers or 1 household max; windows open when possible	Mask required for all passengers and drivers; Motorcycles: 1 passenger max Other vehicles: Middle seats empty and max 50% capacity for all trips Private car: 1 household max; windows open when possible

1. Cohort and cohorting: a cohort is a small group within which people interact. “Cohorting” in the school setting refers to the practice of forming and maintaining small groups of students (and possibly teachers) throughout the entire school day and over time. If there is a case of COVID-19 in a school and students have been in cohorts, the number of people who may be exposed will be limited, it will be easy to identify all exposed individuals quickly and school-wide disruptions will be minimized. ↩︎

2. Stagger: the practice of arranging a schedule so that not all individuals are present at once. In the school setting, staggered classroom schedules may be adopted when students are cohorted and there is not enough space to have all cohorts present as well as safely separated from each other. In such a case, some cohorts might attend school in the morning and some in the afternoon. Staggering may also be practiced outside the classroom; for example, cohorts may be asked to arrive and depart from school on different schedules to reduce crowding around the school. ↩︎

3. Remote: learning by distance. Requires access to distance learning technology and tools. Remote education may be used in conjunction with staggering to allow full-time education without all students physically present at school. ↩︎