Schools and Child Care

Institutes of Higher Education (IHE): COVID-19

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Minnesota needs a strong higher education sector that supports students and communities in returning to on-campus instruction at colleges and universities. This must be balanced with a need for everyone to take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to minimize infecting people at high risk of getting very sick.

Do not invite COVID-19 to the holidays or winter break!

NOTE: Executive Order 20-103 prohibits social gatherings of people who are not members of the same household. Students going home for break are not considered separate households.

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If you must travel

Traveling home over the holidays or winter break means you may bring COVID-19 with you if you have contact with someone with COVID-19 before you leave or while traveling. So, it is important to remember the following:

Lay low before you go! Stay home and stay at least 6 feet apart from others as much as you can before you travel. Stay away from large crowds, gatherings, etc. Wear a facemask whenever you leave your room.
Get tested. If your test is negative, continue to lay low until you go. If you are positive, you need to stay home and away from other people (isolation) as much as possible for at least 10 days. See CDC: If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone.
During travel, wear a facemask, stay at least 6 feet away from others as much as possible, and wash your hands a lot, or use hand sanitizer.
Lay low once you arrive, because you may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 during travel.
Wear a facemask and stay at least 6 feet away from others as much as possible for the first two weeks after you get where you are going. Be extra careful with your family. Wash your hands often.
Consider getting tested at least five days after you arrive, especially if your travel included being around many people (e.g., airports, bus rides, larger car pools). It can take up to 14 days to get symptoms.
If you start to have COVID-19 symptoms, get tested right away and stay by yourself and away from others while waiting for results.
If you have close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested about five days after your contact and stay home for 14 days (quarantine) after the contact.
In general, avoid visiting older adults or people who have health conditions. If you do visit them, you should wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet away from them as much as possible, and wash your hands often. It is really important if you are visiting people who have increased risk for getting very sick from COVID-19 to be extra safe during the 14 days before your visit, and to consider getting tested a few days before you visit.

Going back to campus after break

Once you return to campus, lay low when you get back, in case you were exposed to COVID-19 over the holiday or while traveling. This also helps slow down the spread of COVID-19 on your campus and in your community.

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