The state has identified 1,402,439 cases of COVID-19 as of today (increase of 49,991 since our last newsletter on Feb. 3), with 1,373,839 of these cases no longer requiring isolation (increase of 74,825). 11,930 deaths have been reported (increase of 369). 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:
- At this time, we are not changing any policies or requirements related to COVID-19. We will update employees as soon as possible once we make changes.
- No return-to-office date has been set at this time for teleworking staff. We will give at least 30 days' notice prior to fully transitioning teleworking staff back into the office.
- Please review the definitions of quarantine, isolation, close contact, and vaccination status from the CDC.
- Reminder that the Met Council 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.
COVID-19 requirements and policies at the Met Council remain in place
As headlines continue to report COVID-19 restrictions easing up in areas of the country, we know staff have questions about our own face covering, testing, travel, and return-to-office policies and plans. The pandemic planning team and Met Council leaders are closely monitoring transmission in the region, our own Met Council cases, and guidelines from federal and state public health officials.
At this time, the Met Council is not changing any policies or requirements related to COVID-19. We will update employees as soon as possible once we make changes.
No return-to-office date has been set for teleworking staff. We will give at least 30 days' notice prior to fully transitioning teleworking staff back into the office.
Definitions of COVID-19 terms
To help navigate guidelines and requirements, please make sure you are familiar with the definitions of these terms related to COVID-19.
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):
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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.
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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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (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. 15), 3,869,659 Minnesotans had received at least one vaccine dose and 3,637,197 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:
- 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.
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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.
Ways you can get a COVID-19 test:
HealthPartners is covering the cost of over-the-counter COVID-19 rapid tests completed at home.
HealthPartners has developed 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 are eligible. Details and instructions about coverage and requesting reimbursement are available on the HealthPartners website.
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.
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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. 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.
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:
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Councilwide |
| Active positive COVID-19 |
117 |
| Cumulative COVID-19 since onset |
1,340 |
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 (Feb. 3).
|
Division
|
New cases |
Total to date |
Returned to work |
Current active |
|
CD
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0 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
| ES |
11 |
210 |
148 |
62 |
| MT |
32 |
1,097 |
1,050 |
47 |
| MTS |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| RA |
0 |
25 |
19 |
6
|
| Total |
43 |
1,340 |
1,223 |
117
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