Earlier today Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a joint news conference to announce new federal guidelines to help employers and businesses prepare for and respond to the upcoming flu season. 

The updated guidance includes additional strategies to use if flu conditions become more severe and new recommendations regarding when a worker who is ill with influenza may return to work.

The guidance does not estimate what level or levels of absenteeism businesses may experience this fall and winter.  However, as we note in the Chamber’s forthcoming H1N1 flu preparedness guide, the infection rate was roughly 6% to 8% where the virus circulated this past spring.  And, during the traditional flu season, infection rates could be two to three times higher, as both the H1N1 flu and the seasonal flu circulate and sicken people simultaneously.

Today’s announcement featured two documents, which we encourage pandemic planners to review and to share with your suppliers:

Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the 2009–2010 Influenza Season

Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers (PDF)