Dear Mercy Parent/Guardian,

Although there are currently no diagnosed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan, the Mercy administration is proactively reacting with preventative measures, as well as actively preparing should our community be impacted. We understand that each of us must take part in promoting the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. Everyday preventive actions are a key component to limiting the spread of any respiratory disease, including COVID-19 .

Learn more information about the status of coronavirus from both the Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ( MDHHS ). Your best source to answer frequently asked questions can be found at the CDC.

What You Can Do:

The CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including: 

  • Keep your student home when she is sick.
  • If your daughter is diagnosed with the flu, call the Mercy Attendance Office for our tracking purposes.
  • Encourage your daughter to follow preventative actions to help control the spread of respiratory illness. Discuss best hygienic practices, which include:
    • avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
    • wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. 
    • cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then discard the tissue in the trash. If a tissue is unavailable, cover your cough or sneeze with your sleeve.
    • consider providing your daughter with an individual hand sanitizer supply that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
 
What Mercy is Doing:

  • locating additional hand sanitizing stations throughout the school, and focusing extra maintenance efforts on disinfection practices for frequently touched surfaces such as door-handles, light switches and water stations.  
  • actively monitoring daily attendance of students and staff for flu-like symptoms to better identify infectious spread of activity and react appropriately.  
  • refraining from holding or shaking hands, or distributing the Sacred Cup during Mass in support of Archdiocesan guidelines.
  • reviewing contingency plans to ensure continuity of student learning in the event of a regional outbreak.  
  • monitoring communications from the County Health Department, Michigan State Police Office of School Safety, and the Archdiocese of Detroit to ensure we are following best practices and recommended protocol. 
  • providing educational communications to our students, staff and parents, including the display of posters throughout the school outlining best hygienic practices. 

On behalf of the Mercy Administration, we thank you for your support in each of these efforts.
 
Sincerely,
Mercy Administrative Team