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COVID-19 update – May 6

Thursday, May 6 The state has identified 584,227 cases of COVID-19 as of today, with 563,364 of these patients no longer required to be isolated. 7,204 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.

At a glance

What you need to know this week:

• Gov. Walz announced today a three-step timeline to end most statewide COVID-19 executive order restrictions.
• At this time, the Met Council's COVID-19 precautions, including the face coverings procedure for all Met Council facilities, remain in effect.
• We are continuing to coordinate with state and county partners to make vaccine appointments directly available to our staff. Reach out to us if you need assistance making an appointment.
• Reminder: The COVID-19 Leave Request Form has been updated to include instructions for vaccine-related requests, and Metro Transit and Environmental Services have new processes for submitting these requests.

Read on for more about these updates.

Governor announces timeline to end statewide COVID-19 restrictions

As COVID-19 cases decrease and more Minnesotans get vaccinated, today Governor Walz announced a three-step timeline that will lead to an end to most state COVID-19 executive order restrictions in indoor and outdoor settings by May 28 and an end to the statewide masking requirement by July 1.

It’s important to recognize that this does not mean the pandemic is over. The state will, of course, continue to monitor the virus and the growth of variants in the months to come. 

Step one, May 7 (noon): Some restrictions will be relaxed, primarily in outdoor settings.

• Removes limits for outdoor dining, events, and other get-togethers, and ends the mask requirement outdoors except at large venues with over 500 people.
• Eliminates the state-established mandatory closing time for bars, restaurants, and food and beverage service at other places of public accommodation.

Second step, May 28: Remaining capacity and distancing limits will come to an end, including for indoor events and gatherings. The requirements that will remain include:

• Face coverings indoors and for outdoor events that exceed 500 people.
• There will be no new safety requirements for businesses, though they must maintain their plans to keep their employees and customers safe – as they have from the beginning of the pandemic – guided only by a minimal universal state guidance document.

Third step, no later than July 1: This last step takes place once 70 percent of Minnesotans age 16 years and older – 3,087,404 Minnesotans – get at least one dose of the vaccine, but no later than July 1.

• The remaining face covering requirement and the requirement for preparedness plans will end. Work on vaccines will continue.
• Note that local jurisdictions and entities may continue to have their own masking requirements.

Review the updated Stay Safe Plan for the new guidelines and timeline.

Because the youngest Minnesotans are not yet eligible for the vaccine, the Safe Learning Plan for schools will continue until the end of the school year to protect students, teachers, and staff in schools.

Minnesota's new three-step timeline to safely end COVID-19 restrictions.

Met Council COVID-19 precautions remain in effect

At Met Council facilities, please continue to wear a mask, maintain social distance, participate in health screening, wash your hands often, and stay home if you are sick. At this time, the Met Council's face coverings procedure remains in effect. Review our COVID-19-related policies and procedures on MetNet. We will continue to keep you informed as our guidelines change. 

Additionally, a federal mask requirement that applies to all forms of public transportation will remain in effect through September 13.

Looking ahead to returning teleworkers to work sites

Nothing has changed with the timing of our plans to return teleworkers to work sites. We anticipate having more details to share with staff by the end of the month. As we announced earlier this spring, our Pandemic Incident Command Planning Leads are developing our plan for a phased return to the workplace for teleworking employees, which will begin for teleworking employees this summer. We encourage managers to engage with their staff now and inform the Planning Leads to determine the best working arrangements for both employees and the business needs of the work area.

Vaccinations are key

Our progress so far – and our path forward – relies on Minnesotans getting the vaccine. The vaccines are free, safe, and effective, and all Minnesotans age 16 and over can get one right now. It has never been easier to get a shot. Walk-in vaccinations are available in many places. Review the article below for a list of tools to help you find vaccine appointments.

Meeting staff vaccination requests through external partners

We are continuing to coordinate with state and county partners to make vaccine appointments directly available to our staff. If you still need a vaccine appointment, please email Lisa Belland at Lisa.Belland@metc.state.mn.us so we can make sure you receive our notifications for available appointments through these external partners. Since so many employees have accessed the COVID-19 vaccine through other channels, at this time the Met Council will not be hosting on-site vaccination clinics.

Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities As of Tuesday (May 4), 2,614,319 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 2,035,325 people had completed the vaccine series. For up-to-date information on vaccine availability and distribution, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine dashboard.   Every Minnesotan 16 years of age and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state has directed providers to still prioritize vaccine appointments for people most at risk of getting COVID-19, or those who could develop severe illness if infected. Providers then have the flexibility to provide available appointments to other eligible Minnesotans.   Check out these tools to find vaccine appointments: Schedule an appointment at one of the state's Community Vaccination Program sites. Sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to directly schedule an appointment or get updates on vaccine opportunities. Use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for vaccine providers in your area. As of this week, HealthPartners and M Health Fairview are scheduling vaccination appointments for all individuals 16 years and older. No walk-in appointments are available at this time. Learn more and schedule an appointment on the HealthPartners COVID-19 site and the M Health Fairview COVID-19 site. Go to CDC: VaccineFinder to schedule an appointment for a vaccine at a pharmacy near you. Make sure you're reading this weekly all-staff COVID-19 email to get the latest on vaccination opportunities, guidelines, and more. For more information about the vaccine and how to find an appointment, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine site.   You do not have to wait for information from the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector or the Met Council's emergency notification system before getting your shot. If your health care provider contacts you about making an appointment, or if you have another opportunity to get vaccinated, you can and should do that.   For the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to last longer and be most effective against variants, two shots are required. If you’ve missed your second dose for any reason, get it as soon as possible.

Continue testing to stop the spread of COVID-19

Anyone who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should immediately contact their health care provider and seek testing, regardless of their vaccination status. How to get a COVID-19 test:

• Walk in or schedule an appointment for a free test at one of the state’s COVID-19 Community Testing Sites across Minnesota.
• Order a free test through the state’s COVID-19 Test at Home program.
• If you have a HealthPartners medical plan, visit their website for testing information.

Reminder: Process changes and updated form for COVID-19 Leave requests

Human Resources is responding to a high volume of COVID-19 Leave requests and is working with partners in Metro Transit and Environmental Services to quickly approve the use of Emergency Sick Pay for vaccine-related absences.

As a reminder, employees may use a maximum of 24 hours of COVID-19 Leave if they have a reaction to the vaccine and need to take time off, but only if they have Emergency Sick Pay time available. Employees may not use COVID-19 Leave to get a vaccine.

Please follow these instructions for requesting COVID-19 Leave. Note: The COVID-19 Leave Request Form (PDF) was revised in April to include instructions in section 1A for vaccine-related requests. The time code for COVID-19 Leave​ is released to the manager after the leave request is received and approved.

COVID-19 Leave requests related to the vaccine:

• Metro Transit: Managers and supervisors are asked to send COVID-19 leave requests for vaccine-related absences to John Cook at John.Cook@metrotransit.org.
• Environmental Services: Managers should use this link to request vaccine-related leave only: COVID-19 Leave (ESP) Request for Vaccine Reaction.
• Staff in other divisions: Submit the COVID-19 Leave Request Form for vaccine-related absences to the ERC for processing at EmployeeResourceCenter@metc.state.mn.us.
• When filling out section 1A of the form for vaccine-related requests, you are not required to identify your symptoms.

COVID-19 Leave requests not related to the vaccine:

• Managers, please submit the COVID-19 Leave Request Form to the ERC for processing.
• Please use the updated form (linked above), which was revised to include instructions for vaccine-related leave requests.

Check the MetNet pages, 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.

For Metro Transit work instructions and daily updates on new COVID-19 cases reported at each worksite, visit the Metro Transit MetNet page. For job aids and facilities updates for Environmental Services related to COVID-19, visit the Environmental Services page.

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 issues of our internal newsletters: April 30 Insights (Transit), May 4 Wire, and May 6 HR Connect. 

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:

• Employee FAQ: May 6 (PDF)
• Manager FAQ: May 6 (PDF)
  
  

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 Community Development (CD), Environmental Services (ES), Metro Transit (MT), Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS), and Regional Administration (RA).

Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis (May 6):

Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis by division (May 6*):

*These division numbers are reported weekly. These tables reflect changes week over week.