No Need To Go Here
The World Health Organization (“WHO”) raised the level of influenza pandemic scale to Phase 6. The pandemic scale goes from 1 to 6, with 6 being characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries in the same region plus another region in the world. Phase 6 indicates that a global pandemic is underway. However, according to the Director of the WHO, “Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another.”
You should advise your employees to take the following precautions with respect to hygiene:
- Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and dispose of the tissue after it is used.
- Wash the hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- If employees share equipment such as phones or keyboards, wipe these with a light disinfectant tissue. Do not use very wet cleaning cloths on keyboards.
- If an employee becomes ill, summon a doctor and have him or her remain home to limit contact with others until medically cleared to return to work.
The usual advice for remote telecommunications applies. Remember some employees may need to stay home from work to take care of sick family members, so where feasible, make arrangements for them to do so. Finally, given the public health risks, business travel should be limited to absolute necessity. Of course, this should be part of your small business policy for reasons of your budget!