COVID-19 updates: Free vaccine clinics
Masks & COVID-19 Health Resources
Masks
Wearing a well-fitted mask along with vaccination, testing and physical distancing, helps protect you and others by reducing the chance of spreading COVID-19.
- Current mask recommendations
- A Mask for Everyone initiative
- Saint Paul and Ramsey County mask requirements
- Signage and posters
COVID-19 information
Symptoms and treatment
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
When to seek medical help
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing.
- Ongoing pain or pressure in the chest.
- New confusion or not being able to wake up.
- Bluish lips or face.
*This list is not all-inclusive. Call your medical care provider before going in. Tell them about your symptoms and they will give you instructions to help protect you and other patients.
Immigrant and refugee communities
Anyone who is sick should seek medical care without fear, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay for health services.
Treatment
COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment can help qualifying patients get better faster. It is an outpatient treatment for patients with mild to moderate symptoms that started within the past 10 days, and who are at high risk of their illness leading to hospitalization or death. It can also be given to people who have had close contact or are at high risk of being in close contact with someone with COVID-19. Learn more
Testing and quarantine guidance
Testing
COVID-19 testing is an important strategy to slow the spread of the virus. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends testing for COVID-19 in several situations according to exposure, symptoms and vaccination status.
Isolation and quarantine
Information on what to do if you have been around someone with COVID-19 and need to stay home and away from others (quarantine) or if you are sick and test positive (isolation). Learn more about the steps you should take after an exposure and how long to quarantine or isolate.
- Close contacts and quarantine - MDH
- Quarantine and isolation - CDC
- What to do if you've had close contact with a person with COVID-19 (PDF)
- Isolation and quarantine guidelines (PDF)
- Isolation and quarantine guidelines (Karen PDF)
- Pautas de aislamiento y cuarentena (PDF)
- Cov lus qhia txog qhov cais tawm mus nyob ib leeg (isolation) thiab kev ceev cia (quarantine) (PDF)
- Karantiilka iyo Tilmaamaha Go’doominta (PDF)
- Adda of baasuu fi seerota bakka adda of baasuu (PDF)
Isolation and quarantine calculator
A tool to help determine how long you need to isolate, quarantine or take other steps to prevent spreading COVID-19, customized to address your unique situation.
Reporting COVID-19 infections: Employers
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is requiring all mandated reporters to report any cases of COVID-19 within one working day.
Who is required to report COVID-19 infections:
- Health care practitioners (health care facilities, medical laboratories, and in certain circumstances veterinarians and veterinary medical laboratories) are required to report disease to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) under Minnesota state law.
- Unless previously reported, every licensed health care provider who provides care to any patient who has, is suspected of having, or has died from a reportable disease is required to report.
- Any person in charge of any institution, school, child care facility, or camp is also required to report disease to MDH.
Cases can be reported by fax or phone:
Stay Safe MN Guidance
As we return to work and activities we enjoy, we have a shared responsibility to look out for each other and save lives. Keeping businesses and other venues open will depend on all of us doing our part to stay six feet apart, wash our hands often, stay home when sick and wear a mask.
Guidance for individuals and families
Guidance for businesses and organizations
- Stay Safe Guidance - businesses and organizations
- What to do if an employee has COVID-19 (PDF)
- COVID-19 - When to return to work (PDF)
Guidance for holidays
- Gatherings & Holidays - MDH
- Activities, Gatherings & Holidays - CDC
- Ramadan and the COVID-19 vaccine - MDH
Guidance for schools
- Q&A: COVID-19 testing for middle and high school students (PDF)
- COVID-19 testing for kids and families - MDH
- COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth, and Child Care Programs (PDF)
- Schools and Child Care: COVID-19 - Minnesota Department of Health
- Stay Safe Guidance - schools
- Stay Safe Learning Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year
Guidance for sports
- COVID-19 testing for Minnesota organized sports participants (PDF)
- Playing sports during COVID-19 (PDF)
- COVID-19 sports guidance for youth and adults (PDF)
- Youth sports and quarantine guidance (PDF)
- Stay Safe Guidance - sports
Guidance for travel
Executive orders
Guidance for K-12 schools: 2021-2022
Updated March 1, 2022
The CDC’s new COVID-19 Community Levels recommendations align precautions for educational settings with those for other community settings. The CDC is in the process of updating its COVID-19 prevention guidance for K-12 and will be posted here when available. Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health will be reviewing the CDC guidance for schools when available.
Updated August 20, 2021
Saint Paul - Ramsey County Public Health fully supports the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding universal indoor masking for all of our K-12 schools.
- All teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools should wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
- Students should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered COVID-19 prevention strategies in place.
- Students under 12 years of age should wear a mask in public spaces and around those who are not fully vaccinated.
Saint Paul - Ramsey County Public Health does not have the authority to mandate a mask policy for schools, but advises compliance with CDC guidance and strongly recommends that schools require masks.
Resources for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Updated 2/23/22: Ramsey County Schools COVID-19 Mitigation Recommendations (PDF) - Saint Paul - Ramsey County Public Health
- Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- COVID-19 Isolation Guide for Schools, Child Care, and Youth Programming (PDF) - Minnesota Department of Health
- COVID-19 Quarantine Guide for Schools, Child Care, and Youth Programming (PDF) - Minnesota Department of Health
- Updated 3/25/22: Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools for the 2021-22 School Year - Minnesota Department of Health
- Updated 3/25/22: School and Child Care COVID-19 Best Practice Recommendations - Minnesota Department of Health
- COVID-19 Testing During the 2021-22 School Year - Minnesota Department of Health
- 2021-22 School Year Health Recommendations for Schools - Minnesota Department of Education
- COVID-19 Data Tracker – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
COVID-19 funeral help
FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses. If you are covering the cost of a COVID-19 funeral, FEMA may be able to help. You may qualify for up to $9,000 per funeral for expenses.
- Learn more about who is eligible, what is covered and how it works
- Funeral Assistance FAQ
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Funeral Assistance (PDF)
- Asistencia para gastos fúnebres por COVID-19 (PDF)
To apply
Call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585).
- Available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Multilingual services are available.