The DOC is following the Minnesota Department of Health testing guidelines for monitoring, isolation/quarantine, and testing of the people incarcerated in our facilities. However, we are not waiting for positive test results to take appropriate precautions. If an incarcerated person exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19, we follow MDH guidance for how our health care and other staff use PPE and interact with those individuals, how to isolate and quarantine them, and how to protect the health of everyone involved.
In May, we started a process of testing all inmates for COVID-19. We continue to test across all of our facilities. We are also conducting comprehensive testing of facility staff. In the testing data in the charts above, we also include self-reported positive cases from staff who were tested in the community or by their personal health care provider.
News Releases:
Each facility has implemented detailed plans, in collaboration with the Department of Health, around CDC protocols for the prevention and management of COVID-19 infection within correctional institutions. Each facility has implemented a number of measures to minimize the impact of COVID-19 in Minnesota’s correctional facilities. Click on each facility below to learn more.
For information about in-person visiting, please read our visiting page to learn about how visiting is being conducted at our facilities.
We have been working with the Minnesota Dept. of Health on ways to open visiting back up in our correctional facilities. In-person visiting reopened at some DOC facilities the week of July 22. For specific information regarding new in-person visiting procedures, visit: https://mn.gov/doc/family-visitor/visiting-information/
We are working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 (“coronavirus”) developments.
While many COVID-19 cases seem to be mild to moderate with symptoms similar to colds and flu, some cases may be more severe. People who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their healthcare provider before going into the clinic. Share with them your symptoms as well as any travel history or other information about potential COVID-19 exposure.
Link to MN Department of Health: Strategies to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota
For up-to-date information, visit the websites of the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . The best guidance for avoiding COVID-19 is to take the same precautions you take for avoiding colds and flu:
1. Stay home when sick.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time.
3. Cover your coughs and sneezes with your sleeve or a tissue, not your hand. Throw the tissue away when you are done.
4. Stay informed. Visit the MDH and CDC websites often.
Minnesota Department of Health
