Interim Operational Considerations for Implementing the Shielding Approach
to Prevent COVID-19 Infections in Humanitarian Settings
Accessible version: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/shielding-approach-humanitarian.html
CS3194410-A 07/29/2020

This document presents considerations from the perspective of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for implementing the
shielding approach in humanitarian settings as outlined in guidance documents focused on camps, displaced populations and low-resource
settings.1,2
This approach has never been documented and has raised questions and concerns among humanitarian partners who support
response activities in these settings. The purpose of this document is to highlight potential implementation challenges of the shielding
approach from CDC’s perspective and guide thinking around implementation in the absence of empirical data. Considerations are based on

current evidence known about the transmission and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may need to be revised as more
information becomes available. Please check the following CDC website periodically for updates: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/global-covid-19/index.html
What is the Shielding Approach1
?
The shielding approach aims to reduce the numbes is nextr of severe COVID-19 cases by limiting contact between individuals at higher risk of
developing severe disease (“high-risk”) and the general population (“low-risk”). High-risk individuals would be temporarily relocated to safe
or “green zones” established at the household, neighborhood, camp/sector or community level depending on the context and setting.1,2
They would have minimal contact with family members and other low-risk residents.
Current evidence indicates that older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for
severe illness from COVID-19.3
In most humanitarian settings, older population groups make up a small percentage of the total population.4,5
For this reason, the shielding approach suggests physically separating high-risk individuals from the general population to prioritize the use
of the limited available resources and avoid implementing long-term containment measures among the general population.
In theory, shielding may serve its objective to protect high-risk populations from disease and death. However, implementation of
the approach necessitates strict adherence1,6,7
, to protocol. Inadvertent introduction of the virus into a green zone may result in rapid
transmission among the most vulnerable populations the approach is trying to protect.
A summary of the shielding approach described by Favas is shown in Table 1. See Guidance for the p