The state has identified 831,669 cases of COVID-19 as of today (increase of 47,436 since our last newsletter two weeks ago), with 797,121 of these patients no longer required to be isolated (increase of 39,761). 8,925 deaths have been reported (increase of 272). 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:
- The CDC has approved a version of the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 17.
- As a reminder, teleworking staff must complete two required trainings in Learn before their teams implement their new work schedules. Teleworking staff should check the Telework Transition FAQ page on MetNet for information on technology, workspaces, planning, and more. Note training available this Friday.
- Staff must follow the COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure if they will be onsite for any reason for more than 10 minutes.
- Because people who recover from COVID-19 may continue to test positive even after serving their quarantine period and symptoms end, employees who recover from COVID-19 will not need to complete a weekly test for a period of 90 days following the initial positive test date.
- Employees who need to test each week must complete their test by 11:59 p.m. each Thursday. Staff may use Council-facilitated testing options, which update their employee record automatically, or choose another way, which must be entered manually in Employee Self Service (ESS).
- Employees should use the new code 51001 on their time card for weekly COVID-19 testing onsite with Council-issued saliva tests.
- The Met Council is not currently collecting COVID-19 vaccine booster information.
- You have two more weeks to submit proof of vaccination through ESS and have it verified (by Nov. 26) to receive a one-time payment of $150 in December.
Read on for more about these updates.
COVID-19 vaccine available for children age 5 and older
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in children and teens age 5 to 17. Learn more about the CDC's guidance.
In addition, the State of Minnesota has launched a webpage as a resource for families to learn about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for children and teens, understand what to expect when their child gets vaccinated, and why it is important to do so. The site will also help parents find the right vaccination experience and location for their child. In addition to the webpage, two new videos were created featuring Minnesota pediatricians sharing information about the COVID-19 vaccine for children and why it is important to get kids vaccinated:
Where to get your child vaccinated:
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Minnesota has more than 1,100 providers who are able to give COVID-19 vaccines to children and teens, including pediatricians, pharmacies, community clinics, schools, local public health agencies, and tribal health agencies. The state’s main goal is to ensure that the vaccine is widely available and will be distributed equitably and efficiently to all Minnesotans in this newly eligible age group.
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To find a vaccine for the 5-11 year olds in your household, use these resources:
- Visit mn.gov/vaxforkids to find clinic locations near you.
- Check with their pediatrician, family medicine clinic, or pharmacy about appointments.
- The Minnesota community vaccination site at Mall of America is ready to vaccinate anyone 5 years of age or older. You can schedule your appointment in advance, or just drop in during your next trip to the mall. Children ages 15 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Look for vaccination clinics being offered at schools or other community locations around the state.
The Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds is a smaller dose than the one given to people 12 and older, and is packaged differently. Pfizer vaccines for people 12 and up cannot be used on younger children. Before your child’s appointment, confirm that your provider has the Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year old children. Not all providers have this in their supply.
Announcements for teleworking employees
Training this Friday for staying connected while working virtually
Since many teams across the Met Council will continue to include teleworking staff, we encourage leaders to take an upcoming training from LOD designed to improve supervisors’ skills in leading hybrid staff and conducting meetings in a remote environment. Managers and supervisors can register for the virtual, instructor-led course in Learn by browsing the “LOD Classes Open for Registration” section or searching for the course by name in the search bar.
Still Remote: Supervising & Staying Connected with Your Virtual Teams
Friday, Nov. 12, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Webex
Still Remote: Staying Successful in a Remote Work Environment
Thursday, Dec. 2
9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Webex
Additional required and optional trainings
All teleworking staff are required to complete two trainings in Learn before their teams implement their new schedules: one on the updated Telework Procedure and one on working in the new hybrid workplace, where some staff will be onsite and some will be remote.
The trainings are not assigned in Learn, so staff must use the direct links provided here or locate the trainings in Learn by using the search bar (click the magnifying glass icon in the top menu bar).
Telework Agreement Form on MetNet
The Telework Agreement Form was updated as the organization prepares for the new, long-term hybrid workplace with a mixture of onsite, hybrid, and remote workers. The form is required for all staff who are teleworking as part of the new schedules that are being finalized this fall. The form is now online and routed automatically through the approval process.
Telework transition process and timeline
Follow this Councilwide guidance and any division- or department-specific details for your return-to-office timeline:
- Department sets and communicates general direction to their staff for when employees should return.
- Teleworking employee determines with their manager their new schedule and effective date.
- Employee completes the Telework Agreement Form by mid-October and submits it for approval by manager.
- Staff implement their new schedules at the appropriate time.
- Staff should continue teleworking, if you can, through at least Oct. 31.
- Work groups may bring teleworking employees back onsite now if necessary to address emerging business needs, especially for just a day or two.
- Staff do not need a telework agreement in place for temporary, short-term assignments onsite.
- Staff return to the office between Nov. 1 and Jan. 3 for critical business needs.
- Work groups may implement the timeline for returning to the office at any time in this window to respond to critical business needs. Exact time determined by work group or individually with manager.
- Departments must notify teleworking employees 30 days in advance of requiring them to return formally to onsite work. If those employees will be teleworking into the future, their telework agreements must be completed 30 days ahead of the required return to the office.
Telework Transition FAQs
Teleworkers can review the Telework Transition FAQ page on MetNet for details and tools to help in planning for and implementing their new schedules.
Follow vaccine and testing requirement if onsite more than 10 minutes
In order to report to work onsite, Met Council employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or get weekly COVID-19 tests and test negative. This applies to anyone who will be onsite for any reason for more than 10 minutes.
A list is sent to every manager by 8 a.m. each Friday letting them know if their employees are approved to go onsite – based on vaccination status or testing status. Make sure you are on the approved ("Go") list if you are planning to stop by a Met Council facility for more than 10 minutes. This reminder is especially important for any teleworkers who are making arrangements to return to the office or stop by the office to return equipment, clean out cubes, etc.
Weekly testing exemption after testing positive
Employees who recover from COVID-19 may continue to test positive after serving their required quarantine period and after their symptoms have ended, so they may be wondering if they need to complete the weekly testing before returning to work. Per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, employees who are testing weekly will not need to complete a weekly test for a period of 90 days following the initial positive test date.
Weekly testing methods and process
Employees who need to test each week must complete their test by 11:59 p.m. each Thursday. You have the following Council-facilitated options for testing that will automatically update your employee record.
- Onsite and take-home saliva tests are available at most work sites. Specific processes for accessing a test will be communicated through your division incident command.
- You may choose to schedule a test through HealthPartners and use the code 10397. Refer to this resource for step-by-step instructions (PDF) (updated 10-13-21).
- Some parts of the Met Council (including the Metro Transit Police Department) also have access to onsite, rapid tests.
If you choose one of the Council-facilitated options above, your testing status of completed and your results will be automatically reported to the Employee Self Service system and to you.
You may also choose to get your own test some other way. If you choose your own method, you will need to manually enter your test results in Employee Self Service.
If you test positive, you must still inform your supervisor, as we have throughout the pandemic period.
Well@Work not available for weekly testing
As a reminder, employees who are seeking COVID-19 tests to meet the weekly testing requirement should not attempt to schedule appointments at the Met Council's Well@Work clinics. These clinics are not supporting weekly testing.
Employees who are asymptomatic and are not testing to meet the new testing requirement may access tests through the clinics. COVID-19 tests available through the Well@Work clinics are reserved for employees only; dependents should visit other HealthPartners locations or community testing sites.
For more information on the vaccine and testing requirement:
New time code for onsite saliva tests
Employees should use the new code 51001 on their time card to track when they are completing their weekly COVID-19 test onsite with the Council-issued saliva tests.
Employees are allowed up to 30 minutes each week to complete their test. Using the code will help Payroll better track this time so we can accurately get reimbursed for testing costs.
Submit proof of vaccination
Employees who are vaccinated must submit documentation to Human Resources to verify vaccination status. You may submit proof of vaccination at any time, but you may still be subject to weekly testing until your vaccination status is reviewed and verified by Human Resources.
The form for submitting proof of vaccination is available in Employee Self Service (ESS).
For assistance submitting your proof of vaccination:
Help accessing ESS
Information about logging into ESS is available in the Quick Start Guide (PDF) and on the ESS login page under Helpful Links. For questions about ESS, email ESS.HRIS@metc.state.mn.us.
Provide proof of vaccination and get $150
Each employee who has been fully vaccinated and submits their proof of vaccination through ESS will receive $150. Proof of vaccination must be submitted and verified by Nov. 26, and the one-time, taxable payment will be included on the Dec. 10 paycheck.
Do not submit booster information
The Met Council is not currently collecting COVID-19 vaccine booster information. Please do not attempt to upload booster information into ESS until further notice.
 Proof of vaccination form in Employee Self Service.
Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities
As of Monday (Nov. 8), 3,505,911 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 3,307,366 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 5 and over can get one right now. Many sites are now offering walk-in appointments.
Check out these tools to find vaccine appointments:
Important reminders related to the vaccine:
- To be fully vaccinated with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, two shots are required. The waiting period between shots is 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days for the Moderna vaccine. If you’ve missed your second dose for any reason, get it as soon as possible.
- You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks from the final vaccine dose.
- Even after you are fully vaccinated, you should continue to follow safety recommendations by public health officials 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 pandemic, visit the MetNet page and be sure to review the FAQs for staff and managers. The telework transition FAQ page has details for teleworking staff. 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:
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 |
58 |
| Cumulative COVID-19 since onset |
691 |
Employees with positive COVID-19 diagnosis by division:
These division numbers are reported by Human Resources weekly. This table reflects changes since the last update email (Oct. 28).
|
Division
|
New cases |
Total to date |
Returned to work |
Current active |
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CD
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0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| ES |
4 |
97 |
83 |
14 |
| MT |
26 |
577 |
534 |
43 |
| MTS |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| RA |
0 |
14 |
13 |
1
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| Total |
30 |
691 |
633 |
58
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