Swine flu guidance for accommodation providers

Recent sensationalist reporting in the media has caused alarm about the dangers of the swine flu virus. Despite reports of high levels of infection, there are currently 10,000 confirmed cases and 26 deaths attributed to the virus, with the vast majority of people of normal health who catch the flu able to go back to work within a week.

However, there is an expectation that the number of new cases will increase, which has implications for business continuity (especially with many staff on holiday) and caring for customers who come down with the flu while on holiday.

Advice for accommodation providers is currently being revised, and this will be added to the Accommodation Know-How site when it is available. In the meantime, the Department of Health guidance from 2008 (Pandemic flu guidance for the hospitality industry) provides very good information on preventing transmission of the flu virus - a link to a pdf of the guidance is available at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082434

If you would like further advice on precautions that you should take as a business, consult the Businesslink website at www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=ONEOFFPAGE&itemId=1082470688.