Is H1N1 the next killer flu? Or is it over-hyped? We probably won't know for certain for the next several months. But whether or not this is the next Spanish Flu the fact is that our modern society is extremely vulnerable to a pandemic. Crowded cities and rapid international travel mean that a lethal and contagious virus could be absolutely devastating.
Swine flu? Bird flu? SARS? Whether it's this year, next year, or five years from now, it's very likely that we will be facing a deadly pandemic in the near future. Landlords and property managers will have a key role to play when this happens.
Here are a few resources to help landlords prepare for a worst case scenario:
- Infonaut is a software company that has developed infection tracking software that can be used to track outbreaks on a regional or municipal level or even within a building such as a hospital.
- Infonaut also publishes a news blog focused on tracking outbreaks - and they have a twitter feed too.
- BOMA Canada has set up a Pandemic Planning site that includes a planning guide as well as a toolkit. There's tons of information here - from how to plan resources and staffing to how to communicate with tenants and the public.
Let's hope that the current H1N1 virus does not spread or become more deadly. But we have to be prepared for a major pandemic at any time. Quick action - containment and quarantine, could save literally millions of lives. Landlords have a key role to plan in these mitigation strategies.
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