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GUIDANCE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING IN YOUTH AND STUDENT PROGRAMS <br />MDH recommends participants/children only wear cloth face coverings if they can reliably <br />wear, remove, and handle the cloth face covering throughout the day. <br />Face mask guidance is available at Masking Recommendations for Child Care and Schools <br />(www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/masks.html). <br />Strategize meal times <br />Wherever feasible, encourage bag lunches from home. <br />Stagger meal times to minimize the number of people dining inside at one time and keep <br />people 6 feet apart. <br />Don't intermix pods, and maintain a consistent group of pods that are dining at the same <br />time each day whenever possible. <br />These steps will help minimize transmission and also allow for swift contact tracing if <br />needed. <br />Clean and disinfect common surfaces between groups. <br />If meals are typically served family -style, plate each meal to serve it so that multiple people are <br />not using the same serving utensils (e.g., have staff serve food to participants). <br />Serve meals outside or in alternative indoor areas as weather allows. <br />Staff serving meals should follow MDH's Food Service Worker Safety Information <br />(www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/foodservice.pdf). <br />Minimize opportunities for mixing between groups <br />Stagger arrival and/or dismissal times. <br />Minimize crowding at drop-off and pick-up times. <br />Designate times for families to come, consider staggering times if possible. <br />Whenever possible, participant pick-up and drop-off should occur outside. <br />Add visual cues or barriers to direct traffic flow and distancing. <br />Develop signage and processes to minimize interactions of families. <br />Consider dividing participant entry points rather than funneling all participants through the <br />same entry space. These approaches can limit the amount of close contact between <br />participants in high -traffic situations and times. <br />MDH recognizes that busing times are often tightly scheduled. Consider making arrival <br />schedule changes for participants who walk or are dropped off by a parent or caregiver. <br />Cancel field trips, assemblies, and other large gatherings. <br />Cancel activities and events like field trips, participant assemblies, athletic events, <br />practices, special performances, program -wide meetings, or spirit nights. <br />Consider transitioning field trips to free virtual opportunities. <br />4 <br />