Public Health Agency of Canada
www.publichealth.gc.ca
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Frequently Asked Questions for Business
- Vaccines
- Antivirals
- Critical Infrastructure
- Business Continuity Planning
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Control Measures
- Communications
- Labour
- Legal / Regulatory
- Annex
Vaccines
- At which pandemic phase (e.g., pre-pandemic), if any, will vaccine be made available to the public? What are the procedures for the distribution of vaccine to the public? What level of the government (e.g., federal, provincial, regional) is responsible for the distribution of vaccine?
- What is the procedure for the private sector to follow to acquire vaccine? Will the private sector need to designate individuals that will receive the vaccine? How should companies prioritize the distribution of vaccine to employees?
- Is there a plan to prioritize access to vaccine for health care workers and critical infrastructure personnel?
Antivirals
- At which pandemic phase (e.g., pre-pandemic), if any, will antivirals be made available to the public? What are the procedures for the distribution of antivirals to the public? What level of the government (e.g., federal, provincial, regional) is responsible for the distribution of antivirals?
- What is the procedure for the private sector to follow to acquire antivirals? Will industry need to designate individuals who will receive the antivirals? How should companies prioritize the distribution of antivirals to employees?
- Is the use of Tamiflu effective in mitigating the effects of pandemic influenza? Is it recommended that employers stockpile Tamiflu?
- Is there a plan to prioritize access to antivirals (both for prophylaxis and/or treatment) for health care workers and critical infrastructure personnel?
Critical Infrastructure
- How is critical infrastructure defined by the federal government?
- Will a critical infrastructure working group be developed to address pandemic related issues?
- How can the private sector best contribute to the on-going development of pandemic preparedness in Canada?
- What sectors are considered critical infrastructure by the federal government? How will critical infrastructure lists be managed and by whom? How will the lists of critical infrastructure facilities and personnel remain secure and confidential?
- What special consideration will be provided to critical infrastructure personnel (e.g., protective equipment, antivirals, vaccine, and requirements to report for duty)? How will the list of critical infrastructure be communicated / coordinated with health services personnel issuing antivirals and vaccine? Is the federal government stockpiling antivirals for critical infrastructure personnel? Should critical infrastructure be stockpiling their own anti-virals for their essential employees?
- If a company operates critical infrastructure services, should they have already been contacted by the federal government regarding business continuity planning? What are the expectations by the federal government of owners of critical infrastructure (e.g., business continuity planning, level of services to be maintained, etc.)? Is additional training required for critical infrastructure sectors?
- What are the conditions that activate special status for those providing critical infrastructure?
- Will the food sector be provided with additional security during a pandemic, if required, if there is the potential for food supply shortages?
- Will critical infrastructure sectors and facilities remain operational?
Business Continuity Planning
- What will be the origin of a pandemic and when can it be expected to arrive in Canada once it has emerged?
- Has a pantry list been developed of the products that the federal government recommends consumers should have on hand for extended stays at home during a pandemic period? If so, how is this information accessible?
- What are the reasonable assumptions of impacts and staff shortages to use for business continuity planning in the event of a pandemic flu?
- What services will the federal government provide to help companies develop their business continuity plans (e.g., templates or guidelines)?
- Should sector-specific sub-groups be created to discuss business continuity planning in more detail?
- Where is information regarding pandemic preparedness / response located? How can people receive / provide information from / to the federal government during a pandemic?
- How will messaging to first responders and their families be provided?
- Will the Canada-US border remain open to people and/or supplies during a pandemic? Are there circumstances under which the border would be closed (e.g., a certain phase of the pandemic)?
- How will Canada and the US coordinate transportation issues?
- Has research been conducted on absenteeism and its related factors?
- How will the health sector address absenteeism?
Roles & Responsibilities
- What are the roles and responsibilities of governments (e.g., federal, provincial/territorial) with respect to pandemic preparation and response?
- What is the role of provincial emergency management organizations? Are they responsible for activating their operations centres?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of individual government departments with respect to pandemic preparedness and response?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of local / municipal governments during a pandemic?
- What are the federal government’s roles and responsibilities regarding critical infrastructure?
- What are the expected roles and responsibilities of the private sector regarding pandemic preparedness and response?
- How will the federal government coordinate its pandemic response / interact with the private sector? Is there a model?
Control Measures
- What public health measures will be implemented by the federal government to address a possible pandemic influenza? Will the closing of schools and other public places of assembly be utilized as a containment strategy?
- What protective equipment (e.g., masks) or procedures (e.g., social distancing) are recommended? Who will provide the equipment?
- Are guidelines available specifically for the food retail and food distribution sector regarding personal protective equipment and prevention practices (e.g., masks, gloves, etc.)?
- Are there guidelines / methods for employees to self screen or employers to screen employees and visitors? Are there recommendations for managing employees that are exhibiting symptoms?
- Will quarantine be used to control the spread of influenza? If quarantine was used as a control measure, how would it be initiated and by whom to ensure consistency with and among the industry sectors? At what World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Phase would the quarantine be applied?
- How will travel be affected by a pandemic? Are there clear national directives for inter-provincial and international travel at the WHO Pandemic Phases 4, 5 and 6? Are there clear national directives for the repatriation of Canadian employees or citizens in foreign countries during WHO Pandemic Phases 5 and 6?
- Are steps being taken to support first responders and their families?
Communications
- Who is responsible for announcing a pandemic alert?
- Who is responsible for communicating to critical infrastructure? What information will be provided? What occurrence would activate special status for those providing critical infrastructure / essential services?
- Who is responsible for communicating pandemic information to the general public?
- What are the most useful / reliable sources (e.g., national and international pandemic developments, government and civil defence directives, and medical information) of pandemic information?
Labour
- How will Employment Insurance benefits be applied and expedited during a pandemic?
- Is the duty-to-care (e.g., the document prepared as the result of SARS) incorporated into current pandemic planning?
- Are there pre-defined parameters for a safe work environment in a pandemic situation to enable companies to ensure they are pro-actively meeting those requirements?
- Will there be changes to the hours of work restrictions (48 hours per week) during a pandemic? If so, how will this information be communicated?
Legal / Regulatory
- What are the private sector’s legal obligations regarding pandemic?
- Is there a listing of applicable pandemic legislation at federal/provincial/territorial levels across the country?
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