MDH recommends strategies to slow COVID-19 outbreak
(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Department of Health announced Friday a series of community-level strategies to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Each strategy is designed to make person-to-person transmission less likely by reducing the close-contact interaction that tends to result in passing along the illness.
Recommendations include:
- Canceling or postponing gatherings with 250+ people – including concerts, conferences, professional and amateur performances or sporting events.
- Canceling or postponing smaller events that would be held in settings that do not allow social distancing of 6 feet per person.
- Limiting attendance to no more than 10 people for events where the majority of participants are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Staying at home and avoiding gatherings – including travel – for people and families at higher risk of severe COVID-19.
- Working remotely.
- Staggering work schedules and limiting non-essential work travel.
- Strictly limiting visitors at health care facilities and assisted-living facilities.
- Offering video or audio events at faith-based organizations.
- Implementing triage before entering hospitals and other health care facilities.
A complete list of recommendations is available on the MDH Coronavirus Disease website.
MDH recommendations do not include closing K-12 schools at this point, but there is school-specific guidance for limiting close-contact interactions.
People in high-risk categories should consider limiting exposure to high-traffic areas such as airports, bus and train stations, medical facilities, libraries, and shopping malls.
Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm says these recommendations show that every Minnesota resident and organization has an important role to play in protecting our state from the risks of this disease.
“For everyone, the responsibility first and foremost is to stay home when you are sick,” Commissioner Malcolm said. “I want to make it clear that this applies to everyone – no exceptions during a serious outbreak like this. For communities and organizations, the responsibility means making temporary adjustments to events, operations and activities to help make person-to-person transmission less likely.”
Since the outbreak started in December 2019, more than 134,000 cases and 4,967 deaths have been reported worldwide. That includes 1,701 U.S. cases and 40 deaths as of this morning.
