Child care providers no longer required to quarantine COVID close contacts

Health officials say Minnesota child care providers are no longer required to quarantine children and staff who are deemed close contacts to someone with COVID-19.

An email sent to providers by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the change Tuesday and comes amid a COVID-19 case surge that has affected many students.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just came out with its revised guidance for K-12 schools last week, and the CDC is still working on child care guidance. Malcolm said she anticipates the CDC’s guidance will include a shortened quarantine period for child care when that is released.

The DHS email urged providers to continue following MDH and CDC guidance for quarantining and noted that providers are still required to report COVID-19 cases to MDH, inform families of exposures and isolate those who test positive.

You can find the remarks made by Malcolm during a news conference held Wednesday below.