Business Forum July 28, 2009
Pandemic Impact on the Business Community
Objectives of Forum
Share local impact of a pandemic including business
risks
2. Clarify PCHA’s roles and responsibilities during
pandemic response
3. Clarify government roles and responsibilities
4. Offer strategies for business continuity planning
1.
What is a Pandemic?
 World wide outbreak of disease in humans with
 Community spread/highly contagious capabilities
 Little or no immunity (susceptible population)
 Ability to cause serious illness
 3 major pandemics in the past century (Spanish flu of
1918 provides modeling predictions)
 Health organizations have been planning for years
 In June 2009, WHO declared Pandemic Level 6
Current Pandemic
 H1N1 virus meets pandemic criteria
 94,512 cases worldwide 476 deaths (July, 2009)
 Human to human transmission
 Novel “A” strain virus
 Mild to severe illness
 8972 cases in Canada, 151 cases in Nova Scotia ( July,
2009)
 Concern that virus will
 Meet with seasonal viruses and mix or mutate
 Increase in severity and communicability
Flu Signs & Symptoms
 Symptoms of H1N1 are similar to those of seasonal flu
 Flu-like symptoms are fever and/or cough with one or
more of:
 Unusual tiredness
 Head/muscle/joint aches
 Sore throat
 Mild cases stay at home
When to Seek Medical
Attention?
 When your symptoms rapidly worsen(within 24 hrs)
 Difficulty breathing
 Vulnerable population
 Pregnant (2nd or 3rd trimester)
 Postpartum ( 4 weeks or less)
 Underlying medical
H1N1 Spread Characteristics
 Virus appears to spread the same way seasonal flu
spreads
 Primarily through respiratory droplets
 coughing
 Sneezing
 Touching respiratory droplets on yourself, another
person, or an object, then touching mucous membranes
(e.g. Mouth, nose, eyes) without washing hands
CDC, May 2009
What can we expect for Pictou County?
Planning Assumptions: 1918 Data
Pandemic Modeling Predictions
 75% Infection Rate
 30% absenteeism rate (peak 2 weeks)
 25% Clinically ill (first wave)
 50% will require out-patient care
 0.4%-2.0% death rate
 2 or more waves of outbreaks
 Each wave may last 6-8 weeks (2 week peak followed 1
month later by peak in mortalities)
 Second wave may be more virulant
Community Impacts
 Decrease in services ( pharmacies, banking, food, fuel)
 Essential services may be unable to provide consistent
levels
 Mutual aid may be limited or unavailable
 Increased need for some items (OTC meds; comfort
foods, gloves and masks)
 Impact will depend on other events such as weather
conditions/storms
 Economic “fall-out” uncertain
Business Impacts
 High staff absenteeism (25-30%) for 2 weeks or more
 Illness
 Taking care of ill family members
 Fear of contracting virus at workplace
 Supplier disruptions
 Delivery disruptions
 Increased or decreased demand for business services
 Concerns over safety of workplace (staff and
customers)
 Single points of failure ( critical staff or resources)
PCHA Pandemic Procedure
PCHA Pandemic Objectives
 To minimize illness and death rates within the district
 To slow the spread of widespread illness within the
district
 To ensure essential health services are maintained
PCHA Focus
 PCHA will focus on health response
 Impact assessment may require readjustment
 Vaccine may be unavailable or limited (DOH/DHPP)
 Antivirals have limited benefit (DOH/DHPP)
 Supplies (ex. PPE) will be limited (DOH/DHPP)
 Limited resources & staff will limit surge capacity
 Non-essential health service disruptions will be
experienced
PCHA Business Continuity
 PCHA will maintain an EOC & contact with provincial
bodies as well as local
 Patients with flu symptoms will be diverted from
hospital to alternative treatment facilities
 Facilities will be closed to visitors
 Co-horting of patients may occur
 Non-essential surgeries will be cancelled during peaks
PCHA Business Continuity
 Clinic closures/services may occur
 Continuing care will be provided within existing
facilities
 Between waves PCHA will balance catch-up of services
with preparation for next waves
PCHA Community Expectations
 Essential community services will be maintained by
community response network
 Municipal EOC will be maintained and will provide
and receive daily updates
 Municipal bodies, community agencies, local
businesses will have developed pandemic plans
Emergency Management Organization
Local Government Response
 The responsibility for the health and welfare of the
public rests with the elected officials of a municipal
government according to the Emergency Management
Act amended in 2005.
 Every municipality must be prepared to the extent of
its own capabilities to meet the threat that may arise
from emergencies or disasters.
 Because of close geographical proximity and shared
response agencies, a Regional Emergency
Management Organization (REMO) has been formed
in Pictou County.
Local Government Pandemic
Objectives
 To support the lead agencies and emergency
responders in the pandemic response (REMO)
 To support emergency support partners in large scale
emergencies that occur in addition to pandemic
(REMO)
 To ensure essential municipal government services are
maintained (BCP)
During a Pandemic REMO will:
 Support PCHA, the lead agency, for the health
response to pandemic
 Operate a municipal Emergency Operations Center to
coordinate information flow between community
response partners and PCHA
 Maintain communication with Provincial Emergency
Management Organization on non-health related
issues (NS-EMO)
 Support public information messaging as directed by
PCHA or NS-EMO
REMO will also:
 Maintain “business as usual” for non-pandemic related
events ( storms, large-scale events)
Local Municipal Government
 Will activate Business Continuity Plans as the need
arises (staff or supply shortages)
 Will maintain essential services (ex. sanitation; water
treatment)
 Represent councils in REMO EOC as required
 Inform residents of service disruption through “usual”
channels and REMO EOC
 Enforce Public health measures as directed by
DOH/DHPP through PCHA (ex closures)
Municipal Government
Limitations
 Impact will depend on other events at the same time
(storms, time of year)
 Staff absenteeism may be high and sudden (i.e. sick
buildings)
 Supplies & resources may be limited
 Essential service disruptions may be experienced
Strategies for Continuity Planning
Business Continuity Objectives
 Maintain essential services and business functions
during a pandemic
 Support the health response
 Support the community
 Survive despite business disruption
 Recover quickly once things get “back to normal”
Business Continuity Plan
A procedure that identifies how the business will
continue to perform essential services/critical
functions during times of disruption.
Also Known As:
 Business Resumption Strategies/Plans
 Business Recovery Programs
 Disaster Recovery Plans
 Information/Data Back-up & Recovery Plans
 Strike Plans
 Often these plans identify alternative sites to operate
and information retrieval
Planning Steps
 Determine high, medium and low priority
functions/services
 For each function identified, determine the resources
(human and supplies/equipment) required to
maintain
 Identify method to maintain high priority based on
staged shut-down ( divert resources from low to high)
 Consider the specific impacts of a pandemic
High Priorities
 Legislated activities
 Insurance requirements
 Contracted duty to provide
 Required to maintain health and safety of staff &
public
 Highest profit/yield
 Customer perception
 Consider priorities for staff, other departments or
business; general public
Medium to Low Priorities
 Can be deferred for two week peak or longer without
becoming High Priority
 Not crucial to profit sustainability over long term
 Can be deferred for 6-8 weeks or more
 Examples include; meetings; liaison with outside
agencies/conferences; new profit lines; seasonal items;
less popular brands/specialty items;
Resources to maintain
 How many staff are required and what is their level of
training/skill set
 What types of supplies are required from outside
agencies
 What types of equipment must be available and
maintained in working order
 What delivery schedules for supplies are essential
Protecting High Priorities
 Divert resources from low and medium priorities to
high prior to crisis level
 Prepare and take alternative action to prevent high
priority shut down
 Track the “issues” & absenteeism in order to avoid
surprise
 Pandemic may give you warning unlike other
emergencies
Coping with Pandemic
Workplace Safety
 Will employees feel safe at work if there is a risk of
droplet spread
 Will members of the public feel safe at your business
 Can you implement some changes to increase the
safety by decreasing degree of contact (automation;
screens; hand washing stations; workplace culture;
increased phone & internet use)
 Increase cleaning schedules and target high
transmission areas
 Consider shut down of close interaction areas to
protect core business
Staff Absenteeism
 Work from home strategies vs. stay at home strategies
 Consider vulnerable groups among employees
 Mitigate the impact in the areas you can (child
support options; family supports; eliminate fear)
 Involve human resources ( policies & procedures; sick
leave; Doctor’s notes)
 Cross training options
 Support flu preparedness & home flu kits
 Share plans with staff
Supplier Disruption
 Who are your major suppliers
 Do your suppliers have plans to continue service with
contracts in place that cover pandemic
 Will your suppliers notify you prior to sudden shutdown
 Are there alternative/back-up suppliers available
 Should you consider stockpiling key inventory
Delivery Disruption
 What schedules do you now depend on
 Consider deliveries in and shipping that goes out
 Are there other delivery alternatives and back ups
 Multiple shipping/delivery methods (ground, air,
courier, private trucking, postal service etc.)
 Consider strategic deliveries to key customers in early
stages
Changes in Demand
 How will your business change if the community is
sick
 Will people need more from you
 Will people frequent your business less
 Are there parts of your operation that will increase and
parts that will decrease
 Would social distancing affect how you do business
 Would closures such as gatherings or schools affect
your business?
Single Points of Failure
 Not necessarily an even distribution of sick workers
 Consider positions of authority and knowledge and
build alternates
 Document “need to knows”, review manuals and
protocols
 Job shadows and training
 Determine communication lines that may be
disrupted if key people affected (ex. email contacts;
passwords; security features)
 Build fail safe systems
Sharing Resources
 Pandemic is a community problem that will require
community solutions
 What do you have that someone else might need (staff;
supplies; equipment; expertise; facilities)
 Build groups, associations, alliances , employee
assistance solutions, good neighbour policies
 Consider resources for REMO response
Summary
 Pandemic impacts present unique challenges
 Federal and Provincial agencies will provide strategic
advice and suggestions
 PCHA will lead health response
 REMO will coordinate community issues and other
emergencies
 Local governments will coordinate essential services
 Businesses will require business continuity plans
tailored to pandemic impacts
 Individuals will require “good neighbour” strategies