The first week in June marks a shift in state’s fight against COVID-19 as some businesses begin to re-open after months of state ordered closures.
Thousands of people also poured into the streets across the state to protest the death of George Floyd who died while in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8-minutes.
All of this has State Health Officials on the lookout for whether we will see a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Nick Lennertz from the Minnesota Department of Health
“We know that the spread of COVID19 occurs when people are in close proximity for extended periods of time,” said Dr. Nick Lennertz from the Minnesota Department of Health
These mass gatherings may put many people at risk for contracting Covid-19. Health officials are now strongly urging Minnesotans who participated in rallies or who helped with clean-up efforts following the riots to go ahead and get tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
“We want you to get tested if you become symptoms. But we also want you to get tested 5 to 7 days after the event. Just to be sure you weren’t exposed to the COVID-19 virus,” said Dr. Lennertz
The incubation period for COVID-19 is two to 14 days. If have symptoms, get tested right away. Even if you don’t have symptoms, get tested around 5-7 days after exposure to large group.
If your test was negative, but you believe you had significant exposure, you can be re-tested after approximately 2 weeks.
Contact your health care provider to get tested. Or you can use a public testing station.
This mass testing strategy will help identify who has the virus and who is contagious, so they can quarantine themselves and we can stop further spreading of the virus and protect vulnerable community members.
Pass the Test!