Thursday, May 27
The state has identified 600,408 cases of COVID-19 as of today, with 588,096 of these patients no longer required to be isolated. 7,403 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.
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At a glance
What you need to know this week:
- Starting today, we are reducing the frequency of these COVID-19 email updates to every other week. Look for the next email on Thursday, June 10.
- Today, Gov. Walz launched the state’s vaccine incentive campaign, rewarding the first 100,000 Minnesotans who get their first shot during the next month.
- At this time, the Met Council's COVID-19 precautions, including the face coverings procedure for all Met Council facilities, remain in effect.
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Managers and supervisors of teleworking employees are working with their teams to assess who may be interested in and suited to returning to onsite work on a limited basis through August. Teleworkers should be talking with their managers to make any adjustments to work schedules and work locations.
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Return-to-work guidance for teleworkers will be specific to sites and business units and will be shared in the coming weeks.
- 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.
Read on for more about these updates.
COVID-19 email updates will be every other week
As we head into summer, we will be sending these email updates every other week beginning today. We know this information is helpful and these emails keep this critical issue in the forefront of our work. If there is anything new to report between issues of this email, please check the MetNet home page story and FAQs for staff and managers. These pages will also be updated in June with more return-to-work guidance for teleworkers and onsite employees.
We really appreciate the feedback, questions, and ideas employees have sent throughout the pandemic via the COVID-19 feedback form. In making this decision to cut back the frequency of these emails, we considered recent comments from staff as well as the condition of the pandemic and the requirements and guidelines coming from the state.
Look for the next COVID-19 email update on Thursday, June 10. Thank you! Stay safe.
Governor launches vaccination incentives through June 30
Today, Gov. Walz launched "Your Shot to Summer," the state’s COVID-19 vaccine incentive campaign encouraging Minnesotans to roll up their sleeves and get their COVID-19 vaccine during the next month.
The campaign aims to get 70 percent of Minnesotans 16 years of age and older vaccinated by July 1. The first 100,000 Minnesotans who get their first shot between May 27 and June 30 will be able to choose the reward of their preference from a wide-ranging list of options, including state parks passes, fishing licenses, and tickets to various summer attractions and events, including the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Zoo, and Valleyfair. Learn more about the incentives at mn.gov/covid19/summer.
 Gov. Walz announced a new campaign to get more people vaccinated this summer by offering rewards.
Met Council COVID-19 precautions remain in effect
While Minnesota ended its statewide face covering requirement, the Met Council face covering requirement and other 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. For more, review our COVID-19-related policies and procedures on MetNet.
We will continue to keep you informed as our guidelines change.
Mask requirements remain in effect in some settings
It is important to remember that mask requirements and recommendations remain for certain settings and situations:
- Local jurisdictions and entities may continue to have their own masking requirements.
- Minnesotans who are not fully vaccinated are strongly recommended to wear face coverings indoors.
- Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan, along with the existing face covering guidance for schools and child care settings, remain in effect.
- A federal mask requirement that applies to all forms of public transportation will remain in effect through September 13.
Minnesota's capacity and distancing requirements end tonight
The state will end the remaining capacity and distancing limits tonight at midnight, including for indoor events and gatherings. Review the updated Stay Safe Plan for the state's new guidelines.
Following this guidance, effective tomorrow, Metro Transit will no longer limit the number of passengers on vehicles or pass up people waiting to board based on the number of passengers already on board. We will continue to encourage customers to keep space between themselves and others when it is possible to do so. Masks are still required on transit and at worksites, regardless of vaccination status. Read the Insights newsletter from Metro Transit every Friday to stay up to date on transit requirements and changes related to the pandemic.
Continue safe practices as the virus continues to spread
It’s important to recognize that while mask, capacity, and distancing requirements are being lifted, 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.
Teleworkers: Work with your managers on return-to-work plans
Throughout the Met Council, managers and supervisors of teleworking employees are working with their teams to assess who may be interested in and suited to returning to onsite work on a limited basis through August.
Teleworkers should be talking with their managers to make any adjustments to work schedules and work locations. Each division will be submitting plans to leadership and then the Incident Command team for approval and to ensure technology resources and physical distancing in the workplace.
Health and safety for onsite and returning workers is top priority
Planning Leads anticipate a small number of employees will return to the office this summer. Longer-term plans will be developed throughout the summer to phase in a more comprehensive return to onsite work this fall.
Protecting the health and safety of our entire workforce is our top priority. Returning teleworkers will be provided guidance on practices and expectations, especially protocols to ensure a healthy work environment for onsite employees.
Return-to-work guidance will be specific to sites and business units
More detailed, tailored guidance on return-to-work plans will be coming out in the next few weeks and will be determined by site-specific considerations. Stay tuned to this communication for additional information and guidance regarding plans and how they might affect your work environment. We’ll be updating MetNet resources and FAQs with more detailed guidance during the summer, as well.
Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities
As of Tuesday (May 25), 2,885,499 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 2,543,044 people had completed the vaccine series. For up-to-date information on vaccine availability and distribution, visit the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine dashboard.
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 12 and over can get one right now. Many sites are now offering walk-in appointments.
Check out these tools to find vaccine appointments:
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.
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 notifications for available appointments through our county and state partners.
Remember, it takes at least two weeks from the final vaccine dose to develop immunity. Even after you are fully vaccinated, you should continue to wear masks and practice social distancing as recommended by public health officials, practice safe hygiene, delay travel, and get tested if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19.
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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:
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: May 21 Insights (Transit), May 25 ES Update, and May 27 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:
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:
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Councilwide |
| Active positive COVID-19 |
20 |
| Cumulative COVID-19 since onset |
532 |
Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis by division:
These division numbers are reported weekly. These tables reflect changes week over week.
|
Division
|
New cases |
Total to date |
Returned to work |
Current active |
|
CD
|
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| ES |
0 |
82 |
79 |
3 |
| MT |
6 |
435 |
418 |
17 |
| MTS |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| RA |
0 |
12 |
12 |
0
|
| Total |
6 |
532 |
512 |
20
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