Long-term Care: COVID-19
Guidance and resources for long-term care (LTC) facilities.
Minnesota's Five-Point Battle Plan to Protect our Most Vulnerable (PDF)
All guidance and materials related to LTC testing activities.
- Expand testing for residents and workers in long-term care facilities.
- Provide testing support and troubleshooting to clear barriers faster.
- Get personal protective equipment to facilities when needed.
- Ensure adequate staffing levels for even the hardest-hit facilities.
- Leverage our partnerships to better apply their skills and talents.
All guidance and materials related to LTC testing activities.
- COVID-19 Toolkit: Information for Long-term Care Facilities (PDF)
Updated 5/15/20
- Employee Illness Tracking Tool (Excel) | Instructions (PDF)
- Helping Long-Term Care Facilities Prevent and Address COVID-19 (PDF)
Actions by MDH and the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to address emergent issues with LTC facilities.
- COVID-19: Visitation Restriction Guidance for Residential Care Facilities in Minnesota (PDF)
- Guidance for Congregate Living Settings to Assist Residents Requesting Camera Placement (PDF)
- Pulse Oximetry and COVID-19 (PDF)
If a resident passes away in your facility, MDH recommends testing for COVID-19 if there are any confirmed cases in your facility or if the cause of death is not clearly due to causes besides COVID-19. A nasal pharyngeal swab needs to be collected from the deceased individual for testing prior to sending the body to the funeral home or medical examiner's office. The specimen can be sent to MDH for COVID-19 testing free of charge. Please see Evaluating and Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for appropriate forms and submission guidance and call MDH (1-877-676-5414) to report the death and suspicion of COVID-19.
Infection Prevention Guidance
- Responding to and Monitoring COVID-19 Exposures in Health Care Settings (PDF)
Interim guidance for assessing, monitoring, and protecting health care workers during widespread community transmission. See the document below for more information on this process.
Updated 4/21/20
- Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Health Care Personnel (HCP) with Potential Exposure to Residents with COVID-19 in Long-term Care, Nursing Home, and Assisted Living Settings (PDF)
Updated 5/4/20
- CDC: Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
- CDC: Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment
- Interim Guidance on Facemasks as a Source Control Measure (PDF)
Source control is a term used to describe measures intended to prevent infected individuals from spreading disease.
- Interim Guidance on Alternative Facemasks (PDF)
There are many versions of non-FDA regulated facemasks, and facilities should evaluate each product before use.
Facility Preparedness
- Regional Health Care Preparedness Coordinators (RHPCs)
Communicate any personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages or supply chain issues to Regional Health Care Preparedness Coordinators (RHPC).
- CDC: Preparing for COVID-19: Long-term Care Facilities, Nursing Homes
The general strategies CDC recommends to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in LTC facilities are the same strategies these facilities use every day to detect and prevent the spread of other respiratory viruses like influenza.
- CDC: Steps Healthcare Facilities Can Take Now to Prepare for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- CDC: Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission (PDF)
Guidance for moving from preparedness to community mitigation strategies.
CMS Guidance
- CMS: Policy & Memos to States and Regions
- CMS: Administrative Information Memos to States and Regions
CMS Quality Safety & Oversight memoranda, guidance, clarifications, and information. Sort by most recent posting date.
Thank you for your continued partnership. For health care questions, please contact the MDH provider hotline at 651-201-5414.
COVID-19 information in other languages:
- 2019 Novel Coronavirus
(Hmong) - Koronafayraska Cusub ee 2019
(Somali) -
Enfermedad del Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
(Spanish) - American Sign Language (ASL) Videos
Contact us:
If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.
