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COVID-19 update – Feb. 3

The state has identified 1,352,448 cases of COVID-19 as of today (increase of 147,519 since our last newsletter on Jan. 20), with 1,299,014 of these cases no longer requiring isolation (increase of 156,670). 11,561 deaths have been reported (increase of 446). 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:

• The Met Council's COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave Procedure, which assists vaccinated employees if they cannot work for COVID-19-related reasons, was updated to clarify that leave may be used to cover partial days (a singular occasion of less than an entire shift) as needed. However, it is not available for intermittent use (repeated partial day usage) in all cases.
• Despite the U.S. Supreme Court halting enforcement of OSHA mandates in January, most of our masking, vaccination, and testing rules remain in place.
• Please review the definitions of quarantine, isolation, close contact, and vaccination status from the CDC.
• Reminder that the Met Council has adopted the updated quarantine and isolation guidelines from the CDC and MDH. Please review any division-specific guidelines your division leaders have shared in addition to these Councilwide requirements.

Read on for more about these updates.

Using COVID-19 Paid Admin Leave for partial days

The Met Council's COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave Procedure was established in November to assist vaccinated employees if they cannot work for COVID-19-related reasons.

We updated the procedure to clarify that leave may be used to cover partial days as needed. However, it is not available for intermittent use in all cases. A partial day means a singular occasion of less than an entire shift. Intermittent use means repeated partial day usage.

As shared in last week's HR Connect, here are some further details on how vaccinated employees can use this leave depending on their situation:

• An essential onsite employee who has tested positive for COVID-19 is not eligible for intermittent use of COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave.
• A teleworking employee who has tested positive for COVID-19 may use COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave intermittently to cover partial work days as needed.
• Employees who can telework are excluded from the child care benefit of this leave procedure and are expected to use their own leave time if they want to work partial days.

Please note that the primary purpose of the child care portion of this paid leave procedure was to provide some relief to onsite employees who cannot flex their time and do not have the ability to telework.

Eligible employees who are requesting this leave should complete the COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave Request form (PDF) and submit a copy of the requested documentation (proof of diagnosis, etc.). Eligible employees are entitled to a maximum of 56 hours (pro-rated for part-time).

Review the procedure in Policy Central for full details on eligibility and using the leave.

Reminder: Most requirements remain, despite ruling on OSHA

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) emergency requirements for large employers related to COVID-19 vaccination and testing. Employers had deadlines in January and February for implementing the OSHA rules, and we had already started incorporating some of the requirements. 

In light of this ruling, we did not move forward on elements of the OSHA mandate, but many of our masking, vaccination, and testing rules – most of which were already in effect before the OSHA requirements – remain in place.

• Masks required indoors: Our Face Coverings Procedure is still in effect, including the recent updates effective Jan. 10. Most notably, this includes the requirement that face coverings can no longer be removed in cubicles except for a limited time while eating or drinking. 
• Get vaccinated or tested to go onsite: Our Vaccine and Testing Requirement Procedure is still in effect and must be followed if you will be onsite for any reason for more than 10 minutes.
• Paid time to get vaccinated: We are still providing paid time (up to four hours) to get vaccinated. This does not include booster shots.
• CDC guidelines: We will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for quarantine, isolation, and returning to work. (More information below.)

It is possible similar requirements from the federal government will be implemented in the future, so please remain flexible and continue reading these announcements.

Definitions of COVID-19 terms

With so much information changing these days, including updated guidance around quarantining and isolation (see below), please make sure you are first familiar with the definitions of these related terms.

Close contact: Spending a total of 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period within 6 feet or less of someone with COVID-19.

Quarantine: Staying home and away from others when you may have been exposed to the virus.

Calculating quarantine: The date of your exposure is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after your last contact with a person who has had COVID-19.

Isolation: Staying home and away from others when you test positive, feel sick, or have COVID-19 symptoms.

Calculating isolation: Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected.

Well-fitted mask: A mask that fits snugly over your nose, mouth, and chin and does not have gaps around the edges.

Note the new distinction for vaccination status (learn more on the CDC website):

• Fully vaccinated: A person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, and it has been at least two weeks since their final dose.
• Up to date on vaccinations: A person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible. A person is considered "boosted" and up to date right after getting their booster dose.

Reminder: Updated quarantine and isolation guidelines

The Met Council adopted updated guidelines from the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for determining when staff must quarantine or isolation and when they can return to work.

After you have read and understand the definitions above, read the Jan. 20 COVID-19 email for details on the updated quarantine and isolation guidance.

Divisions may also have specific guidelines in addition to these Councilwide requirements. Please review any guidelines your division leaders have shared.

If you have any questions, please talk with your supervisor or manager.

Tools to help you find vaccination opportunities

As of Tuesday (Feb. 1), 3,847,494 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 3,603,520 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: Schedule an appointment at either of the Met Council's Well@Work clinics. COVID-19 vaccines are available on Mondays and Thursdays, appointments are required, and masks are required at all times in the Well@Work clinics. Schedule an appointment at one of the state's Community Vaccination Program sites. Use the state's Vaccine Locator map to search for vaccine providers in your area. Schedule an appointment on the HealthPartners COVID-19 site or 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 regular 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.   Important reminders related to the vaccine: The CDC has made a distinction between "up to date" and "fully vaccinated." Up to date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible. A person is fully vaccinated two weeks after the final dose of their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. Even if you are up to date on your vaccinations, 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.

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.   Ways you can 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 at-home test through the state’s COVID-19 Test at Home program. Order free at-home rapid tests through the United States Postal Service. Find a testing option near you through the state's Find Testing Locations map. If you have a HealthPartners medical plan, visit their website for testing information.   HealthPartners now covers the cost of over-the-counter COVID-19 rapid tests completed at home. HealthPartners is developing both a direct purchase option, so members don't have to pay out of pocket, and a reimbursement process. Only tests obtained on or after Jan. 15 will be eligible. Initial details and instructions about coverage and requesting reimbursement are available on the HealthPartners website. More details will be posted soon about the direct purchase option.   Important reminder: At-home rapid tests are for personal use. At-home rapid test results are not accepted for employees in the Met Council's weekly testing program or for our COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave available to employees who have been vaccinated.

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.

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.

• All teleworking staff: LOD Telework at the Council​
• One for managers/supervisors and one for employees: 
  • LOD Managing a Hybrid Team (managers/supervisors of te​leworking employees)
  • LOD ​Effective Teamwork in ​Hybrid Environments (teleworking employees)

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 ba​​r).

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:

• Insights (Transit): Jan. 21 and Jan. 28
• The Wire: Jan. 25
• HR Connect: Jan. 27 and Feb. 3

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: Feb. 3 (PDF)
• Manager FAQ: Feb. 3 (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:

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 (Jan. 20).