You recently received an email from Dr. Wendy Robinson about the importance of staying socially distant during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) now urges all college and university students to get tested prior to the holiday or other social gatherings.

The confirmed cases of people ages 18-35 are on the rise and the MDH is concerned that this age group is driving the state’s community spread of COVID-19 to record highs, many of them with no symptoms and no way of knowing they are positive.  MDH believes the possibility of continued spread of the virus as students visit family and friends for Thanksgiving poses a serious risk.

To make this possible, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced a significant expansion in COVID-19 testing access, with the addition of more than a dozen new testing locations opening across the state over the next two weeks. All testing will be free and available to anyone who wants to be tested whether they have symptoms or not, and it will not require insurance.

You can find options for testing at the MDH Stay Safe MN website, including nasal swab community testing events, saliva community testing sites, home tests, and a map of testing locations throughout the state.  You can find additional COVID information on the Inver Hills COVID website.

We encourage you all to take advantage of this opportunity to help protect your family, friends, and community.  And, as always, remain vigilant about washing hands, wearing a mask, and remaining socially distant from others both on and off campus.