**PRE-READ FOR CORRECT EMPHASIS**
State health officials want every Minnesotan to understand that people who are sick need to stay home, regardless of what they think they have. The state Health Department’s Kris Ehresmann says regardless of whether a person tests positive for COVID-19, they must stay home, and of course contact their health care provider if symptoms are not manageable. Self-quarantine is required until three days after symptoms fully abate.
If someone is ill, family members or others in close proximity must also stay out of the public for 14 days and monitor themselves for possible symptoms. If they *also* get sick, they also must self-quarantine until three days after symptoms fully subside.
State health officials say out of 77 identified COVID-19 cases in Minnesota, 13 are in health care workers — but not acquired at work… 9 cases are school employees and one case is a school-aged person. Ehresmann says, “We followed up with that case and we followed up with their exposures, and so the school has been notified about any potential high- or medium-risk exposures, but in general the exposures in that situation were all low-risk.”
Ehresmann says of Minnesota’s 77 COVID-19 cases, 6 were through community transmission. Health officials stress it’s *imperative* that any Minnesotan with respiratory symptoms — whether it’s suspected COVID-19 or anything else — stay home until three days after symptoms fully subside. Family members or others in close proximity must also self-quarantine for 14 days until they’re sure that they’re not also ill.