October 15, 2020
Mitakuyapi,
We were notified at the Lower Sioux Emergency Operation Center of a lab confirmed case of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) of an individual who attended the Lower Sioux Recreation Center with exposure dates of 10/08/20 to 10/14/20.
We have worked with the Lower Sioux Emergency Operation Center and the Community Contact Tracer to identify those who had close contact (were within 6ft of the individual for a total time of 15 minutes or longer) with the case, and will be communicating with them individually. The risk of exposure for other individuals present in the building on that date is no greater than the risk of contracting the virus in the general community.
We are closing the Lower Sioux Recreation Center until further noticed. We will give an update when reopened.
For privacy reasons, we cannot share many details about the status of the person. At this time, they are staying home for the recommended days, and any staff, child, or people of the community who have been in close contact with them are being notified that they must also stay home and/or work from home for 14 days. If you have not been personally contacted, you are not considered to be at high risk, and there is nothing additional you need to do.
We have taken action to clean and sanitize the facility and are working closely with the Lower Sioux Emergency Operation Center and the Community Contact Tracer to monitor the situation. To minimize further exposure, we continue to recommend implementation of the following strategies:
Stay at least 6 feet from other people. Do not gather in groups and stay out of crowded places. If
attending meetings, maintain sufficient spacing in conference rooms.
– Cover your mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face covering when in the community
– Wash your hands often, especially when in public places. As an alternative, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
– Stay home if you are sick. Be alert for symptoms, which can include cough, shortness of breath, fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, and loss of taste or smell.
– If your age or underlying medical conditions put you at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, follow the CDC’s guidance for People Who Need Extra Precautions .
– Visit the Protecting Yourself and Your Family page of the MDH website to learn more.
What to do if you may be infected with COVID-19:
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell. Other less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after you are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. Not everyone with COVID-19 has all these symptoms, and some people may not have any symptoms. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about symptoms.
The Is it COVID-19? Website is Minnesota’s tool for identifying symptoms and when to seek medical help.
If you are positive for COVID-19, contact your health care provider.
- Stay at home for at least 10 days, and for 3 days with no fever and improvement of other symptoms (Your fever should be gone for 3 days without using fever-reducing medicine).
- Use the CDC website on how to What To Do If You Are Sick with COVID-19.
- If your household contacts were exposed to you while you had symptoms, they should try to stay home as much as possible for 14 days.
This is a challenging time and I know many of you may be feeling stress or anxiety. We will get through this together as a community, and will be stronger when we emerge.
Resources that you may find valuable are:
At this time, we recommend all people who attended the Lower Sioux Recreation Center to be tested for COVID-19 4-6 days after exposure. This would be starting on Monday October 19th, 2020. Please call the Lower Sioux Health Care Center at 507-697-8600 and ask for a COVID-19 test.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Emergency Operations Center at 320-522-0216. We are so fortunate for the family to be forthcoming and to work with the Emergency Operation Center for the Health and Safety of the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
Sincerely,
Stacy Hammer
Community Health Officer
