Cororavirus In Minnesota: Schools Required To Provide Care For Children Of Emergency Workers
HUGO, Minn. (WCCO) -- Being a mom comes first to Angela Farrington, but the nurse practitioner also knows she's needed now more than ever, especially since the hundreds of patients she takes care of are elderly.
"I don't think I went into this field thinking I was gonna take care of people in a pandemic, especially the most vulnerable population," she said.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered all K-12 schools to be closed starting Wednesday, March 17.
Suddenly, finding childcare is another priority for Farrington, a mother of two. For snow days, she normally leans on relatives.
"In this situation we can't. One is elderly and has health conditions. The other is currently out of state right now, too. And I wouldn't put them in a situation now where we could potentially expose them (to the virus)," Farrington said.
As part of Governor Walz' order, school districts will have to provide care for the children of emergency workers who are 12 years old and younger. That includes healthcare providers, emergency medical services, long-term and post-acute care, law enforcement personnel, correctional workers, public health employees, firefighters, and other first responders.
"If we're available to work, we need to be able to be at work," said Chris Parsons, president of the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters union. He was thankful for the Governor's decision since first responders can't simply work from home.
"We have enough on our minds right now, enough on our plates. This removes that worry of wondering what we're gonna do with our kids when we're at work. So it allows us to focus on our jobs," Parsons said.
Farrington said with social distancing being prioritized, she's not sure if she'll send her kids to school for childcare. The Governor's order says state schools "must practice hygiene and social distancing best practices." Schools are also encouraged to provide care before and after school hours.
Farrington said she and her husband will best try to manage their work schedules in order to watch their kids, but she said the real plan is to take things one day at a time.
"Snow days are not a big deal. But two to three weeks is a big deal," she said.
The Minnesota Department of Education is providing direction for school districts on this process. There's no clear indication that the childcare is supposed to be free of charge. District 728, which covers Elk River, Otsego, Rogers, and Zimmerman is charging $125 per student per week with the childcare running from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration for the service in District 728 will be lottery based.
