2024 Solar Eclipse in Cleveland Health & Safety

As the steward of Greater Cleveland’s travel and tourism industry, we want to help ensure that visitors have a safe and memorable experience in our city. Here are some travel tips to keep in mind during your visit.

• Be aware of the latest health and safety regulations in place at your destination
• Wash hands often
• Stay up to date on vaccinations
• Avoid contact with people who are already sick
• Avoid contact with animals while traveling
• Postpone travel and stay home if feeling sick
• Be aware of the latest travel advisories from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Healthcare Resources

If you are experiencing a medical emergency while visiting Cleveland, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room. Cleveland is home to several major healthcare systems, including:

• Cleveland Clinic
• University Hospitals
• MetroHealth

Public Health Resources:

• Centers for Disease Control
• Ohio Department of Health
• Cuyahoga County Board of Health
• Cleveland Department of Public Health 

City of Cleveland Total Solar Eclipse Website

For more information from the City of Cleveland, head to their Total Solar Eclipse website.

Safety is the number one priority for the City of Cleveland. The Cleveland Division of Police and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department continue to work with law enforcement partners at local, state, and federal levels, as well as City and County Emergency Management agencies, to plan for a safe event. Learn more on the City of Cleveland's Total Solar Eclipse Safety website.

Here are some other general safety tips to keep in mind while visiting Cleveland or any other destination:

• Always pay attention, stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.
• Carry your personal items close to your body. Try not to carry more than you can handle.
• When sitting, keep bags and purses in front of you or on your lap, not hung on the back of a chair.
• Walk in well-traveled and well-lit places, especially at night. Plan the safest route to your destination — even if that means taking a longer route.
• Do not take shortcuts through alleys or unfamiliar areas.
• Shut windows tightly whenever you park, including vent windows.
• Lock the trunk, hatchback and all doors whenever you leave your car unattended. Be sure to secure all valuables in the trunk of your car.
• Report suspicious behavior to Downtown Ambassadors or Cleveland Police Department by calling 216.621.1234.
• Dial 911 in emergencies.

With the exception of the very brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun unless you are using eye protection specifically for solar viewing.

Do not view any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the secured over the front of the instrument as this will instantly cause severe eye injury.

Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. They transmit thousands of times too much sunlight and could damage the eyes.

• Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Ohio EMA does not approve any particular brand of solar viewers.
• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
• Always supervise children using solar filters.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
• Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
• Seek expert advice before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device. Note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.

Visit www.ready.gov for more safety tips, and for help creating a family communication plan.  For more on how to view the eclipse safely, see www.nasa.gov.

Emergency Alerts

CodeRED is a high-speed Web-based emergency and mass notification system that has been in use since 1998 and is used by more than 3,000 state and local government entities across the United States and Canada. To be notified of emergencies via phone, text, email or social media messaging while in Cleveland, sign up here.

Network Outages

Although the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County do not expect large scale cellular network disruptions, large crowds lead to an increased use of bandwith and cell service can be compromised and slowed down. In the event of cellular outages, it is recommended that callers utilize WiFi calling. Travelers are also encouraged to have printed maps on hand in the event GPS services are temporarily unavailable.

If You See Something, Say Something

If you see something suspicious, say something. Report any suspicious activity to safety officials on site, or call 9.1.1 for emergencies, 216.621.1234 for non-emergencies or report anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 216.25.CRIME.

Stop by the Cleveland Visitors Center, located at 334 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44114, for more information throughout the weekend: 

The CLE Concierge team also is available to answer inquiries by phone (216.875.6680), e-mail (cleconcierge@destinationcle.org) and online chat.