Coronavirus Information

2021-2022 Health and Safety Protocols

Campus Operations

• The campus is open to the public. This includes the cafeteria, the bookstore, library, etc. Visitors are welcome to attend our campus events.
• All classes will be delivered in person. Section sizes will be normal. Classrooms are configured with approximately 3 feet of distancing between seats. To assist with seating, faculty members may consider seating assignments, group partner assignments, and lab partner assignments.
• Chapel worship will resume in its regular fashion with in-person worship. Morning chapel will be at 10:30 am for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and evening chapel will be at 7:15 pm for students and visitors.
• The MLC dormitories will return to standard operations, including open dorm hours.

Health Monitoring

• Logging daily health status is no longer necessary, but we encourage you to self-monitor daily, taking into consideration your vaccination status. The MDH Decision Tree may be used as a resource.
• Faculty, staff, and students should fill out the COVID Contact Me Form if you meet any of the following conditions:
  • If you have symptoms – regardless of vaccination status.
  • If you tested positive – regardless of vaccination status.
  • If you are awaiting your own test results – regardless of vaccination status.
  • If you are awaiting the test results of a household member and you are not fully vaccinated or you have not had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test within the last 90 days.
  • If you have been identified as a close contact, and you are not fully vaccinated or have not had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test within the last 90 days.
• MLC has designated space for isolation and quarantine for students.
• If you test positive for COVID, regardless of vaccination status, you will need to isolate yourself for 10 days.
• If you are a close contact of a positive case who is a household member (roommate), or a person you spend a great deal of time with, and are not fully vaccinated or have not had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test within the last 90 days, you will need to quarantine for 10 days with no symptoms, or 7 days if you receive a negative test on day 5.
• If you are a close contact of a positive case who is a non-household member, and are not fully vaccinated or have not had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test within the last 90 days, the COVID team will notify you and advise that while you do not need to quarantine, you should symptom monitor for 10 days.
• Students who are excused for quarantine or isolation purposes can expect the professors to accommodate their absence through educational formats that will meet curriculum standards.

Masking

• Masking is recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regardless of vaccination status, but under the current regulations, MLC is not requiring masking for students or employees.
• Anyone on campus is welcome to wear a mask for their own protection at their discretion.
• To comply with federal requirements, masking is required on school buses (public and private) since buses are considered “public transportation.”
• To comply with Allina Medical requirements for healthcare environments, masking is required in the Athletic Training Room.

Vaccinations

• Vaccination for those 12 and over is recommended by the CDC and MDH through your healthcare provider, your pharmacy, or the county.
• Vaccinations are not a requirement for students to attend MLC or for MLC employees.
• Brown County Public Health has a vaccination clinic every Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Vaccination is free and all three vaccine products are available. BCPH is located just down Center Street hill, within walking distance, at 1117 Center Street.

General Health and Safety Guidelines

• The CDC and MDH recommend social distancing for those who are not fully vaccinated.
• Anyone on campus is welcome to practice their own social distancing for their own protection at their discretion.
• MLC encourages continued hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Hand sanitizers will be readily available across campus.
• MLC will continue to operate our HVAC systems at full capacity to allow for frequent air exchange.
• MLC will continue to operate the air filtration units in the MLC Fitness Center and the Chapel of the Christ.
• The Custodial Department will follow standard cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
• MLC will continue to monitor the state and federal requirements. We ask for your flexibility and understanding as we may need to change our plans to comply with these requirements.

Early Childhood Learning Center Operations

A new childcare licensing regulation issued on September 30, 2021, by the Department of Human Services (DHS), under the pandemic planning provision of the Minnesota Human Services Licensing Act, requires that childcare providers follow the isolation, quarantine, and notification rules for children and employees. Violation of these isolation, quarantine, and notification rules imposes unnecessary penalties on the Center and jeopardizes our childcare license and the ability to serve you and your family.

• Parents or guardians of currently enrolled ECLC children are encouraged to self-monitor children and other members of their household daily, and utilize the MDH Decision Tree as a resource.
• ECLC children and employees who are experiencing symptoms, awaiting test results, or will be absent for the day, should report this to the Lead Teacher and the ECLC Office.
• If a child or any member of the child’s household is awaiting test results, please inform the Lead Teacher and the ECLC Office, and keep the child home until the results are received.
• ECLC will follow the MDH Decision Tree, and may exclude any individual (child or worker) experiencing symptoms as the MDH Decision Tree indicates.
  • The MDH Decision Tree indicates that when a person has one “more common“ or two or more “less common“ symptoms, the symptomatic individual should be sent home, tested for COVID, or evaluated by a health care provider.
  • If the individual chooses to not seek testing or does not see a health care provider, the MDH Decision Tree automatically includes a 10-day isolation period.
  • The type of test required for a return due to being excluded for symptoms is up to the establishment, and while an “at-home” self-administered test will give results instantly to the affected person(s), MLC and the MLC ECLC Committee has determined that when an individual is excluded for symptoms, the COVID test cannot be an “at-home” self-administered test as these do not include the individual’s name, date of birth, or test date. For this reason, it needs to be a test administered by a health care provider (i.e. rapid antigen test, PCR molecular) as it provides more accuracy, reliability, and the ability to keep our classrooms open and serve families.
    • A PCR molecular test is an option as this type of test is not self-administered. Based on testing location, test results can take up to 72 hours to be received.
    • Our MLC Campus Nurse, Kelsey Horn, can administer a rapid antigen nasal swab test. This test would then suffice as it will be reported to the State just like all other lab tests are submitted and it can be administered to children ages 2-15. MLC will offer this option to our ECLC children and workers as long as the option remains low cost and as long as testing supplies are available. Currently, the tests are free and the results would be within 15 minutes.
  • While waiting for a test result, other members in the household should defer to the MDH Decision Tree, their employer(s), or individual school requirements for what to do when waiting for a household members’ test result.
  • If an alternative diagnosis is determined by a health care provider or a confirmed qualified negative COVID test is received, the symptomatic person cannot return to activity until 24-hours after symptoms have improved and no fever/pain-reducing medicine for 24-hours.
• The isolation period for a positive individual, regardless of vaccination status, is 10-days from the date of onset of symptoms. For the individual who is experiencing symptoms and tests positive, the infectious date is two days prior to symptoms.
• If the individual is asymptomatic (i.e. has no symptoms) and tests positive, the isolation period is 10-days from the date of the test. For the individual who is not experiencing symptoms and tests positive, the infectious date is two days prior to the date of the test.
• A close contact is anyone that had close contact with the lab-confirmed positive individual between the infectious date and most recent date at closer than 6-feet, for greater than 15-minutes in a 24-hour period.
• ECLC will continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and Brown County Public Health (BCPH) regarding contact tracing. ECLC will notify you by email if your child has been identified as a close contact along with the exposure date(s), quarantine options that meet our available staffing, and the return to activity date.
• Close contacts of the lab-confirmed positive individual, will need to follow one of the quarantine options below. Depending on the classroom staffing, we may need to follow one quarantine period limiting the time when your child could return to the Center for care.
  • BCPH and the MDH recommend a 14-day quarantine as the safest option for those who have been exposed to COVID-19.
  • BCPH and MDH also provide suggestions for a shortened quarantine of:
    • 7-days with a negative (PCR molecular) lab-confirmed test on day 5 (proof of dated negative test will be required), or a
    • quarantine of 10-days with no symptoms.
• Individuals who are fully vaccinated (i.e. two full weeks since your last shot), or have had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test 90-days prior to close contact notification, do not follow the quarantine requirements.
• The MLC Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) is not requiring masks for children, student teachers, or employees.
• Parents or guardians of currently enrolled ECLC children whose child is at least age 2, and desire for their child to wear a mask, may send a mask along for the child to wear. The child must be able to properly remove and don the mask when eating and sleeping.
• Vaccinations are not a requirement for students to attend MLC or for MLC employees.
• ECLC continues to follow MDH and Licensing regulations regarding hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.
• ECLC continues to follow Licensing regulations regarding daily disinfecting and cleaning of toys and surfaces.
• MLC will continue to operate our ECLC HVAC systems at full capacity to allow for frequent air exchange.
• MLC will continue to operate the air filtration units in the ECLC.
• The Custodial Department will follow standard cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
• MLC will continue to monitor the state and federal requirements. We ask for your flexibility and understanding as we may need to change our plans to comply with these requirements.

Resources

• CDC COVID-19 webpage concerning guidelines and recommendations during this global pandemic.
  • CDC – Quarantine vs. Isolation
  • CDC – Isolation Details
  • CDC – Quarantine Details
  • CDC – Caring for Someone Who is Sick
• MDH COVID-19 webpage concerning guidelines and recommendations during this global pandemic.
  • ​MDH – Decision Tree for Schools
  • MDH – What to do when waiting for results
  • MDH – Minnesota testing locations
  • MDH – What to do if you have COVID-19
  • MDH – Information for Confirmed Cases and Contacts
  • MDH – What to do if you have had close contact with a person with COVID-19
  • MDH – Close contact guidance
  • MDH – Guidance for those who are sick or caring for someone who is sick
• MLC COVID-19 Contact Me Form