SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman released the following statement:
“Today, we learned that an individual who works for the Minnesota House of Representatives was found to have a presumed case of COVID-19. Due to health privacy laws and HR policies, we will not be disclosing any further information on the individual. The Minnesota House of Representatives is continuing to follow the guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health to keep legislators, staff, and the public safe as we do our work to respond to this pandemic. We ask that anyone with questions contact the MDH hotline and not members or staff of the House. We cannot provide any further information beyond what has been released here.”
The following is an email sent to all members and staff from Kelly Knight, Director of HR for the Minnesota House of Representatives:
Colleagues,
We have been notified that someone who works for the House has been confirmed to have a presumptive case of COVID-19. It is possible that employees working at the State Office Building and the Capitol may have been exposed. While we understand your interest in knowing as many details as possible, we cannot share nor discuss individual personal health information. We also ask that you refrain from discussing your colleagues’ personal health information with others. If you have been identified as having contact with this individual within the MDH social distancing guidelines, you will be contacted directly by HR.
If you experience symptoms of a respiratory illness (cough, fever, sore throat) or think you may have been exposed or infected with COVID-19, please contact your health provider and inform human resources. Any personal health information employees provide will be maintained confidentially.
The health and safety of employees and the public is our priority, and we continue to follow and implement MDH guidelines for responding to COVID-19. If you have questions you can find additional information on COVID-19, at the MDH website or the CDC website or you may contact:
MDH COVID-19 Hotline: 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any specific questions or concerns you may have. I know that this is an uncertain time. We will do our best to keep you updated as we have additional information.
Thanks,
Kelly