Traveling to Miami, Orlando or another Florida city? How to check the COVID risk level

It’s time for summer travels and Florida is always a popular destination, even for staycations.

We have beaches, the Everglades and coral reefs. We also have Disney World, Universal Studios and Busch Gardens. Florida has mermaids, NASA rockets. And South Beach is always a party.

But while travel in 2022 is nearly like in pre-pandemic times, there’s still COVID-19 research to do.

In the U.S., domestic travel doesn’t require vaccines or testing. Most places have lifted mask mandates, too. Florida doesn’t require masks. You can still wear one if you want, and while rare, some businesses might still require masks. COVID rules for international travel varies by destination.

What about Florida’s COVID risk level?

It depends on where you’re going. Florida has counties with high, medium and low COVID risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC uses three metrics to classify counties by COVID risk level to give recommendations on when people should wear a mask or not due to the spread of COVID.

CDC COVID Risk Level for counties

For high risk counties, the CDC recommends people wear a mask in indoor public spaces.

For medium risk counties, the CDC isn’t recommending masks. It recommends people considered to be high risk for severe illness speak with their healthcare provider on whether they should wear a mask.

For low risk counties, the CDC isn’t recommending masks.

READ NEXT: Is it COVID or a cold? Can pills help? Time for a test? What to know about Florida surge

Regardless of risk level, the CDC says anyone can wear a mask if they want to. It also recommends vaccinations, masks in indoors public transportation, and undergoing testing if you have symptoms. Anyone who tests positive, was exposed to COVID or has symptoms is asked to wear a mask.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the COVID risk level for the counties of some of Florida’s popular destinations:

COVID risk level in Miami and the rest of South Florida

▪ If you’re visiting Miami Beach, downtown Miami, Brickell, Wynwood, Little Havana, Little Haiti, Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Doral, Hialeah, Miami Gardens, and Coral Gables, you’ll be in Miami-Dade County. Fort Lauderdale is in Broward County and West Palm Beach is Palm Beach County. If you’re going to the Keys, that’s Monroe County.

COVID risk level for these counties: High

READ MORE: With COVID rising, what are you doing to stay healthy in South Florida? Take our poll

Orlando

▪ If you’re visiting Orlando, you’ll likely be visiting theme parks, including Universal Studios Orlando and Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista. Orlando and Universal Studios is in Orange County. Part of Walt Disney World is in Orange County and the other part is in Osceola County.

COVID risk level for these counties: High

READ NEXT: Florida’s Disney World has its own government? How Reedy Creek works, and what’s next

Tampa

Tampa in Hillsborough County is home to Busch Gardens and is about an hour away from Weeki Wachi Springs State Park, where mermaids swim in Hernando County. Tiger King fans will also recognize Tampa as where Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue resides.

COVID risk level for these counties: High in Hillsborough County. Medium in Hernando County.

Tallahassee

Tallahassee is the state capital in Leon County. This is where the Florida Legislature meets and makes laws. It’s also where the governor lives.

COVID risk level for this county: Medium

St. Augustine

St. Augustine in St. Johns County is the oldest city in the U.S. and is rich in history. It’s also home to the Fountain of Youth.

COVID risk level for this county: Medium

Fort Myers and Sanibel

Fort Myers and Sanibel are popular beach destinations in Lee County.

COVID risk level for this county: Medium

How to check COVID risk level for another Florida county or U.S. state

To check the CDC’s COVID risk level for another Florida county or for a county in another state, visit the CDC’s County COVID check website.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Traveling to Miami, Orlando or another Florida city? How to check the COVID risk level."

Michelle Marchante

Miami Herald

305-376-2708

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription