November 8, 2020
Dear Mercy Parent/Guardian,
We were informed of a Mercy student who tested positive for COVID-19 and have contacted the Oakland County Health Department.
The student last attended school on November 2. She is isolating at home and will not return to school until cleared to do so. No other students or staff members are considered to be at exposure risk.
Please continue to ensure your daughter monitors daily for any symptoms of COVID-19. If your daughter develops symptoms, we urge you to get her tested for COVID-19. Testing locations can be found using the COVID-19 Test Finder at https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. If your daughter or anyone residing in your household tests positive for COVID-19, is awaiting COVID-19 test results or is symptomatic, your daughter must stay home from school. COVID-19 positive test results or exposure should be promptly reported to the Dean of Student Affairs, Mrs. Eleasha Tarplin at edtarplin@mhsmi.org or 248-893-3568.
COVID-19 is a contagious viral illness that spreads in the air through coughing, sneezing, and talking. Recent information suggests COVID-19 is spread by people who are not showing symptoms. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. For additional information regarding COVID-19, please visit the OCHD website at https://www.oakgov.com/health.
COVID-19 data within our Mercy HS community is disclosed at the end of each week on our COVID-19 webpage. Our current numbers are:
Number of students COVID-19 positive: 5
Number of staff COVID-19 positive: 1
Number of students in quarantine: 30
Number of staff in quarantine: 2
Cumulative confirmed case history since August 20, 2020: 8
The Oakland County Health Department assured us that our continued adherence to social distancing, limited class sizes, a rotating hybrid schedule, wearing of masks, and disinfecting practices offer us the best chances to mitigate the spread of this virus throughout the school. As we work in partnership for the safety of our community, please encourage your daughter to also follow social distancing practices outside of school.
Please know that you will be personally contacted if your daughter is ever considered to be at any exposure risk.
With warm regards,
The Mercy Administration
