The state has identified 1,056,236 cases of COVID-19 as of today (increase of 66,189 since our last newsletter on Dec. 21), with 1,005,849 of these cases no longer requiring isolation (increase of 48,767). 10,733 deaths have been reported (increase of 536). 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:
- To comply with new OSHA requirements, the Met Council is implementing changes to our face coverings procedure and vaccine and testing requirement procedure, effective Jan. 10. See below for details.
- Teleworking staff should continue working remotely until further notice. The Met Council will give employees at least 30 days' notice prior to fully transitioning employees back into the office, and no return-to-office date has been set at this time.
- Reminders and resources:
- Staff must follow the COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure if they will be onsite for any reason for more than 10 minutes. Submit proof of vaccination in Employee Self Service (ESS).
- 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 ESS.
- The Met Council established a COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave Procedure in November to assist vaccinated employees if they cannot work for COVID-19-related reasons.
- Teleworking staff must complete two required trainings in Learn before their teams implement their new work schedules. Check the Telework Transition FAQ page on MetNet for information on technology, workspaces, planning, and more.
Read on for more about these updates.
Effective Monday: Changes to face covering and vaccine and testing requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new emergency requirements for large employers (100 or more employees) to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace. To comply with the requirements by Monday, Jan. 10, the Met Council has updated our COVID-19 Face Coverings Procedure and COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure.
Changes to COVID-19 Face Coverings Procedure
The following changes to the Met Council's mask requirement are effective Jan. 10:
- Acceptable face coverings are made with two or more layers of a breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source).
- Employees may remove face coverings indoors when alone in a room with floor-to-ceiling walls and a closed door. However, face coverings can no longer be removed in cubicles except for a limited time while eating or drinking.
- Employees may also remove their face covering indoors if they are alone in a vehicle, cab of heavy equipment or machinery, or other enclosed work area with doors.
- Other specific situations that allow for temporary removal of face coverings are still in effect and outlined in the procedure.
- A new situation was added to the procedure to allow the temporary removal of face coverings when wearing a respirator or face mask in compliance with OSHA standards where it is required to do the job.
- If a mask becomes wet, damaged, or soiled, the employee must replace the mask for one that is dry, undamaged, and clean. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring compliance.
Read the Face Coverings Procedure in Policy Central for full information.
Changes to COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure
We have updated our vaccine and testing requirement with the following changes. Effective Jan. 10, the Met Council must:
- Retain all vaccine records going forward.
- Provide paid time (up to 4 hours) to get vaccinated, not including booster shots.
- Retain all test records going forward.
- Publish certain OSHA information about vaccinations for employees.
- Require that employees who test positive may not return to the workplace until they (a) receive a negative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) after having tested positive on an antigen test, (b) meet the criteria to return under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's “Isolation Guidance,” or (c) receive a return-to-work recommendation from a licensed healthcare provider.
Read the Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure in Policy Central for full information.
The COVID-19 FAQ page on MetNet will be updated in the coming days to reflect these changes.
Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities
As of Tuesday (Jan. 4), 3,767,666 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 3,533,681 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:
- Per guidance from the CDC, you do not need a booster to be considered fully vaccinated. You are still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose in a two-shot series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.
- 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.
- 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.
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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:
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Announcements for teleworking staff
No date has been set to return teleworking staff to the office
Teleworking staff should continue working remotely until further notice. We will continue to regularly evaluate conditions and will give Met Council employees at least 30 days' notice prior to fully transitioning employees back into the office. Given the growth in COVID-19 cases and rates of hospitalizations and the prevalence of the Omicron variant, no return-to-office date has been set at this time.
Met Council leaders announced in December that teleworking staff will continue working remotely at least through January. This pause followed updated guidance from the State of Minnesota.
Required trainings for all teleworking staff
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 menu bar).
Technology purchases: P-Card or ITR?
Computer equipment is top of mind for many employees who are arranging their longer-term work setups, whether it is onsite, hybrid, or remote. To make things a little easier, check out the MetNet announcement for some important reminders, including: purchasing technology items with a P-Card vs. ITR, returning surplus equipment, how to get tech support, and equipment recommendations from Information Services.
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.
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 employees 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:
| |
Councilwide |
| Active positive COVID-19 |
268 |
| Cumulative COVID-19 since onset |
936 |
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 (Dec. 21).
|
Division
|
New cases |
Total to date |
Returned to work |
Current active |
|
CD
|
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| ES |
23 |
146 |
116 |
30 |
| MT |
85 |
767 |
534 |
233 |
| MTS |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| RA |
3 |
19 |
15 |
4
|
| Total |
111 |
936 |
668 |
268
|
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