Michigan officials are preparing for the COVID-19 coronavirus. While the state has had no confirmed cases of the disease, federal experts anticipate outbreaks in the United States.
As it gets ready to try to contain any flare-ups, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is dusting off management plans from the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009.
MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin encouraged people to think about what they would do if their child’s school or daycare closed. The virus could also affect the workplace.
“Businesses might want to start thinking about, is there an opportunity for individuals to telecommute if we start seeing illnesses, to try to stop the spread of that within their company?”
Sutfin said the good news is that the state is not in the middle of a crisis.
“So it’s a good opportunity to have those conversations and to think, if this happens how will I handle it?” she said.
