During the month of May, Gov. Walz began to scale back the COVID-19 restrictions previously required by the Governor’s executive orders. In light of this action, on May 28, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued new “COVID-19 Universal Guidance for All Businesses and Entities,” in effective until the earlier of June 30, 2021 or until 70% of Minnesotans 16-years-old or older receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Under the “Universal Guidance,” an employer is still required to have and comply with a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in the workplace. However, MDH has updated its requirements and issued a revised universal Preparedness Plan template. MDH’s new Preparedness Plan guidance requires substantially less from employers (including government employers) than its previous guidance. For example, Preparedness Plans are no longer required to include specific face covering requirements and required guidance on travel restrictions has been significantly reduced.
In light of these recent updates, we have updated our local government specific Preparedness Plan template to better serve our member cities. The template is available here. If you would prefer a Word version of the template, please contact Julie Liew at jlliew@flaherty-hood.com.
