May 8, 2009
Precautions requested for H1N1 flu
A May 1 memo was sent to priests, deacons, school principals, campus ministers and parish secretaries in the Diocese of Evansville, providing precautions to be taken in regard to the H1N1 flu.
The memo, sent by Matt Miller, director of the Office of Worship, stated that Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger requested that the Sign of Peace be omitted at all weekday and Sunday Masses, and that Communion should not be offered from the chalice.
The situation will be revisited on or before May 15.
The memo also suggested that it would be appropriate for priests to celebrate a Mass for the Sick, and for all Catholics to continue to remember the sick in prayer.
Catholic schools in the diocese received guidance earlier last week in regard to precautions against the strain of flu. No schools were closed.
Througout the United States, churches and schools took similar precautions — with some school closings announced in other areas of the country.
Typical announcements in dioceses throughout the United States included advice from national, state or local health organizations. Typical advice was to avoid contact with ill persons, to cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, to wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel, and to stay home from work, school or travel if ill.