Thursday, September 24
The state has identified 93,012 cases of COVID-19 as of today, with 83,862 of these patients no longer required to be isolated. 1,988 deaths have been reported. For more information on the current situation, visit the Minnesota Department of Health website.
At the bottom of this email, you will find Met Council workforce statistics related to COVID-19 leave that have been reported to the Employee Resource Center.
Do you have thoughts or concerns on the content or frequency of these COVID-19 update emails? We would love to hear your feedback through the online COVID-19 form, so we can make sure these emails are providing the most useful and timely information to staff.
Monitoring symptoms: Is it COVID-19?
It's important that we all continue to monitor ourselves for COVID-19 symptoms, but it can be difficult to know if it's a COVID-19 symptom or an indication of another illness.
Use the chart below from the Minnesota Department of Health to better understand the differences and similarities in symptoms between COVID-19, the flu, the common cold, and allergies.
If you have symptoms, there are a number of ways you can get a COVID-19 test.
You can get a test from HealthPartners if you are:
- A HealthPartners member who has COVID-19 symptoms. Patients begin the process by calling their clinic for a short screening assessment. Based on symptom severity and risk factors, patients will be scheduled directly at a drive-up testing location (appointment required), referred for an in-person visit and testing at a HealthPartners respiratory center, or referred to a clinician for additional evaluation.
- A Metro Transit employee, even if you do not have COVID-19 symptoms and even if you are not a HealthPartners member.
- If you think you may have COVID-19, you may use the HealthPartners virtuwell symptom checker, and Minnesota residents can schedule drive-up testing.
Testing is also available statewide at a number of locations. The Minnesota Department of Health has more information.
Image text: COVID-19 symptoms can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. This may be similar to other illnesses, like the flu and common cold. Many people with COVID-19 have mild or few symptoms, and some may have no symptoms at all. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested. Talk to your health care provider or visit mn.gov/covid19. For medical emergencies, such as difficulty breathing, call 911.
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 Fall's 'hot' accessory - mind your masks
As we prepare to spend more time indoors in the coming weeks, it's a good time to double-check your awareness of proper mask-wearing technique, so you can help keep your co-workers and community safe.
Statewide masking will put us in a better position to keep our businesses open, get our children back in school, and help us return to the activities we love.
Unfortunately, this pandemic isn't over, and the actions we take impact everyone around us.
If you need a refresher on safe mask-handling practices, check out this handy chart from the Minnesota Department of Health. It's pretty simple: avoid touching your mask (use the straps to put it on, take it off, or adjust it), throw away disposable masks after use, wash reusable masks after each use, and wash your hands frequently.
Face coverings are required
The executive order from the Governor on masks requires Minnesotans to wear a face covering in indoor businesses and indoor public settings, and to comply with the order, we created a face coverings procedure for the Met Council. You can read more on MetNet about our procedure and best practices for wearing face coverings.
All Met Council employees, Council members, contractors, vendors, and volunteers are required to wear face coverings per our procedure when in the workplace or public service environment. It is very important we are all following this critical public health practice, and we urge all staff – whether you’re a front line employee or a manager – to encourage each other to wear a mask and follow the other guidelines like physical distancing, handwashing, and disinfecting work areas.
Remember:
- Everyone who can wear a mask should.
- A face covering is not a substitute for physical distancing, but it is especially important in situations when it is not possible to maintain at least a six-foot distance from other individuals who are not members of the same household.
- Wearing a mask does not mean people who are sick should be in public. Stay home if you are sick, unless you need to seek medical care.
- When leaving home, have a face covering with you at all times to be prepared to comply with these requirements.
- Even if you've had COVID-19, you should still wear a mask because we do not know if people can get sick with COVID-19 again.
- Do not put masks or face coverings on children under age 2.
- Do not put masks or face coverings on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, or unable to remove the mask without help.
- People with disabilities or special health needs might not be able to wear a mask.
Check the MetNet page, FAQs
For the most current information related to the COVID-19 outbreak, visit the MetNet page and be sure to review the FAQs for staff and managers. They are updated as we have new information to communicate.
If you have questions, talk to your manager or supervisor or submit a question or concern in the online COVID-19 form.
Check out the latest issue of HR Connect, which was published today.
For those who cannot easily access MetNet and/or would like a printable PDF of the FAQs, here are the most recent versions of these pages:
Met Council workforce statistics
The following statistics related to COVID-19 have been reported to the Employee Resource Center. The "active positive COVID-19" number is the number of employees who currently have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The "cumulative" number marks the total number of employees who received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis since the pandemic began. The second table breaks down the positive cases by division for Environmental Services (ES), Metro Transit (MT), Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS), and Regional Administration (RA).
Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis (September 24):
Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis by division (September 24*):
*These division numbers are reported weekly.
 
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