Bertha-Hewitt School sees first COVID-19 case
A letter posted to the Bertha-Hewitt School’s website explained they were notified by the Minnesota Department of Health of a lab-confirmed COVID-19 case in a member of the school district with an exposure date of October 12.
“We have worked with MDH to identify those who had close contact with the case and have communicated with them individually. The risk of exposure for other individuals present in the building on that date is no greater than the risk of contracting the virus in the general community,” said the letter.
If you were not identified to have close contact with the positive case you should still monitor for symptoms of illness, but do not need to stay home unless symptoms develop. If symptoms develop, stay home, and consult with your healthcare provider to determine if a medical evaluation is needed.
The school understands this may create unease in the community. They have taken action to clean and sanitize the facility and are working closely with MDH to monitor the situation. They are asking all members of the community to minimize the spread of illness by taking the following actions:
Protect yourself and others by wearing a face-covering when it is hard to stay six feet away from people; wash your hands often with soap and water; cover your cough and sneeze; and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
If you are sick, stay home from child care and other activities.
Be prepared in case you get sick. Keep enough food, regular prescription drugs, and other necessities on hand in case you need to stay home and are not able to go out easily.
Frequently clean all commonly touched surfaces such as telephones, doorknobs, countertops, etc.
If symptoms develop, stay home, and consult with your healthcare provider to determine if a medical evaluation is needed. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, MDH recommends:
Stay home for at least 10 days and for three days with no fever and improvements of other symptoms. Your fever should be gone for three days without using a fever-reducing medicine.
Use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website on how to care for yourself at home; see What to Do if You are Sick www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019.
If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, they should stay home as much as possible for 14 days.