Coronavirus (COVID-19) information
Coronavirus (COVID-19) information
To ensure the health and safety of our campus community, M State is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota State System Office.
The CDC has streamlined its COVID-19 guidance. With so many tools available for reducing COVID-19 severity, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic. The newest CDC guidelines say contact tracing and regular testing to screen for COVID-19 should now be limited to hospitals and certain high-risk group-living situations; however, if you were exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 or have been told by a healthcare provider or public health authority that you were exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, you should follow the guidelines for a close contact (below).
MASKS
Masks are currently not required on M State campuses except as part of close contact or isolation protocols. Individuals may choose to mask at any time. M State honors the many reasons why an individual may choose to wear a mask.
COVID-19 MITIGATION STRATEGIES
As M State transitions from organizational COVID-19 mitigation efforts to personal mitigation practices, we ask all employees and students to be familiar with the current health and safety measures in place.
COVID-19 prevention practices
- Stay up-to-date on your vaccinations, including COVID-19 vaccinations
- Stay home if you are not feeling well
- Get tested for COVID-19 based on symptoms and recommendations from your healthcare provider
- Wash your hands often
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Wear a mask or face covering when directed or based on your individual circumstances
If you test positive for COVID-19
- Isolate for at least 5 days
- If you have no symptoms, you may end your isolation after 5 days
- If you have symptoms, continue to isolate until you are fever-free for 24 hours and your symptoms are improving
To learn more about what to do if you have COVID-19, visit Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19.
An employee who tests positive for COVID-19 should notify their supervisor to coordinate work options or sick leave during isolation periods.
A student who tests positive for COVID-19 should notify their instructors to discuss a plan to keep up with studies during isolation periods.
M State is still required to report positive cases to the state, so if you test positive for COVID-19 or if you are notified by a student that they have tested positive for COVID-19, please email Paula Pederson, Director of Safety and Emergency Preparedness, at paula.pederson@minnesota.edu. In the case of a student, please include the student's name in the email.
Close Contacts
If you were a close contact to a person who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, you no longer need to quarantine, but must wear a mask around others for 10 full days and get tested at least 5 full days after exposure.
The CDC defines a close contact as someone who was less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
This webpage will continue to be updated as M State receives ongoing guidance from the CDC, MDH and Minnesota State System Office.
COVID-19 testing sites
Students, faculty and staff who desire to be tested for COVID-19 can contact their primary care physicians for testing locations in their area or follow the information provided in the drop-down menu below.
- Find a testing site
- At-home testing
- Vault Health saliva testing for all Minnesotans
- Free at-home COVID-19 tests
Federal coronavirus grant information
To ease financial burdens caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government has approved three separate stimulus bills. Each one included funding for higher education and was awarded to offset financial hardships to both institutions and students.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) act was authorized March 27, 2020; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation (CRRSA) Act was authorized December 27, 2020; and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law March 11, 2021.
Each of these federal stimulus packages contained relief funding for M State and M State students who meet specific criteria. The laws require the college to report quarterly on use of the funds for both students and the institution. Those quarterly reports can be found by clicking on the green buttons on the right at the top of this page.
Other informational resources
There are many sources of information on COVID-19, including state, national and international organizations. Primary sources for Minnesota State monitoring, planning and response are:
Minnesota Department of Health:
COVID-19 homepage: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
For schools: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
COVID-19 homepage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
State Department:
Travel information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations.html
