MDH updates COVID guidance to mirror CDC

(KSTP) – The Minnesota Department of Health has updated its COVID-19 guidance to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MDH announced Thursday that it had officially updated its website, which health officials had been saying was coming.

The updated guidance applies to the general population and schools but doesn’t yet include health care settings, correctional institutions or homeless shelters.

According to the guidance, anyone feeling sick or who tests positive needs to stay home, isolate from others and get tested for COVID-19. As for isolations, MDH is now aligned with the CDC’s guidance that, if symptoms subside and a COVID-19 test is returned negative, only five days of isolation is required.

Masking is still recommended for 10 days after being exposed to COVID-19. Those who are a close contact of a COVID-positive person need to quarantine if not fully vaccinated.