THIS IS AN EXERCISE. IT IS NOT REAL.
SDHD has recommended to school superintendents that pandemic flu plans be fully implemented. Some schools may provide instruction via the internet while other schools will simply close their doors until the pandemic passes.
Daycares are also recommended to close to prevent the spread of pandemic flu among children.
This is an historical photo from the 1918 flu. Children who remain in school during a pandemic could greatly increase the spread of the flu. So, schools will probably close at some point during the pandemic.
How will you cope with the school closings? Here are ways for you and your employer.
Links and Other Good Stuff:
- School checklist for pandemic flu: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/schoolchecklist.html
- Additional school planning: www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/index.html
Government personnel should consider: When should Emergency Operations Centers be opened to deal with the pandemic and many different issues it will bring? Do shelters need to be opened? Ensure your schools have completed the planning checklists. More information about school planning is
Business personnel should consider: How do schools and day-cares affect your work force? Who has to stay home with children and can’t come to work? Can an employee bring a child to work?
Private Citizens should consider: How do you take care of your children if you have to work? Also, many children depend on school breakfast and lunch as primary sources of food.
All readers are encouraged to leave a comment about the how this exercise scenario might impact your lives.
THIS IS AN EXERCISE. IT IS NOT REAL.
July 24, 2008 at 10:49 am |
SDHDTRaining,
Great picture.
Lets not forget other gatherings. Cub scouts, girl scouts, Young Life, gymnastics, wrestling, basket ball, debate clubs, AWANA, 4-H, confirmation classes, etc may *all* be curtailed.
This includes movie theaters, concerts, rodeos, arcades, ball games, basket ball games, judo and karate classes. Archery, riffle and museums may stay open.
It is only three months so DVD and game rentals may skyrocket.
SusanC – a doctor from the UK suggests families and neighbors to band together so one person stays home watching the kids while others go off to work. Then just rotate through who watches the kids. While kids are not in isolation they are meeting limiting their exposure to just one group.
Special needs kids are the trick.
We are planning to do some home schooling with books. Power, internet and TV seem iffy. Pipe cleaners, water colors, paper plates, crayons and legos for toys.
Regards,
Kobie
“Everything old becomes new again”
July 24, 2008 at 11:02 am |
…liking the way you fold in educational links (like the CDC school link) and videos and suggested actions – all seamlessly in the updates. Makes it easy and intuiitive to further explore different facets of this complex threat. Thanks.
July 24, 2008 at 11:10 am |
Personally, I think if we are only just closing, we are late in doing so. I believe that once you had 249 cases on the 22nd that at least then is when the schools should have closed. As discussed a couple of days ago, the first wave would probably have the most presentations and would probably spread the most rapidly. Certainly keeping the kids occupied and contained would be an issue, as we all know, kids cooped up for too long could drive any sane adult nuts. Another reason is that the kids in elementary school are in the most likely hit age group. I would have been more conservative with getting home earlier.
My recommendation to the University on Monday when case identified in SLC was to send those students home that could go home. Albeit, local schools all live locally and have no where to travel. As far as closing down the University(cancelling classes) I didn’t recommend that on Monday but certainly would now-based on HD recs. I might have recommended it yesterday when we had 450 more cases present for symptoms.
Home, voluntary isolation should now be in full swing and people prepared to remain so for at least 2 weeks.
July 24, 2008 at 11:18 am |
Comments on comments:
- Mike Doyle: You’re right in that the recommendation for school closings might be late. The timing of posts is an exercise design issue that caught me off guard a bit.
- Kobie: concerning DVD rentals, Netflix now has online movies, so assuming the internet is still operating, that is an option to reduce going out to get movies. Also, on-demand movies are available from most cable companies (if they are still operating).
- Kobie: concerning special needs children, that is part of our special populations planning effort that we hope to address in October.
July 24, 2008 at 11:43 am |
At this point, I would probably start seeing some secondary bacterial infections and I am wondering if this many cases would overwhelm our antibiotic supply. I know that we think anti-viral, but when people are this sick then nature just takes over. Just a thought. Katy
July 24, 2008 at 12:07 pm |
I would have recommended closing the Library, using the same guidance that Mike Doyle uses, or perhaps even a little earlier. We would have gone to home delivery of materials (even leaving them at the door in a plastic bag), exchanging them when possible. We are currently working on our website, updating it and trying to fix it so that we can deliver more materials to the home so that people don’t have to come downtown for everything.
Any home with Internet access (about 2/3rds of them, last I heard) would be able to access what the Library has online. This could include health information, nursing information, food distribution, etc.
We are hoping that we can get a bookmobile — one that can be used in all weathers — in addition to our Book Wagon. Both of these could be used to bring materials to homes; unfortunately (from the point of view of the kids) this could include school books and lessons so that education could at least limp along. They could also bring food to those who might need it.
By this time I would think that church services would be curtailed and funerals would be limited to the immediate family. Stores would be badly hit and might have to curtail hours and services because of sick staff — hence my comments about food distribution.
Nursing volunteers should have been mobilized by now as well; training will be needed.
July 24, 2008 at 1:59 pm |
SDHDTraining,
Good point about movies over the internet. There was talk of shutting down YouTube and video streaming to allow more internet traffic. The FCC said they are already working to guarantee the internet stays up.
Thanks for the info about Special needs planning in October. A regular schedule and social interaction is important for many kids. Often the parents do need a break.
Mike D,
I see your point and thinking. Closing church services is an interesting issue. The separation of church and state creates issues. Unlike recreational and educational activities faith based groups provide support, grief counseling and positive emotional benefits for many.
Post 9/11 there where many special services as people offered prayers. The same happened in England after Princess Diana died in a horrible car wreck.
Also HHS has reached out to faith based groups in their “Take the lead” campaign. (Source: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/takethelead/)
I like the bookmobile idea.
I hope libraries will do a pandemic diorama before H5N1 hits.
Kathy, you are right there are secondary infections but I do not have a source nor any guidelines on what presents itself when a person is in a weakened state.
Regards,
Kobie
“Hope is a gift we give ourselves”
July 24, 2008 at 3:50 pm |
We have been discussing at our clinic, who would be the key people, who would need to work. All others could stay home. We encourage our people to not use all their sick leave and vacation, so they would not have such a financial crunch. We don’t want our parents to work and expose their children to this epidemic.
July 24, 2008 at 4:16 pm |
During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, the second wave was the most deadly. Philadelphia was severely hit when it lifted its non-pharmaceutical containment measures too early. When you begin to think about instituting such measures as school closures and bans on public gatherings, it becomes a balancing act to institute them early enough to curb disease spread but not so early that the public’s tolerance (and compliance) fatigues. If you include Religious Worship Services as part of the banned public gathering activities, that does not mean that those congregations can not use alternative means to offer their support to each other – prayer chains, telephone calls, newsletters, etc. There are many ways to offer support to each other in times of crisis that don’t require a large group to gather. We just need to think out of the box.
July 24, 2008 at 6:44 pm |
Judy,
One school of thought says “they are all critical. If not, why are they being paid?”
I understand that management thought but the reality is a business can run with a skeleton crew. When that crew is defined then put two backups with that name. No one knows who will get sick.
Basicly start cross training for a good robust COOP. For a plan without people is just a plan on paper.
Also- single people can feel pressed to show up “for they do not have a family” They do have a life but not kids. Keeping things fair and balanced is hard; for me at least. The other issue is to still have checks and balances at work. IT takes two people to cut a check so there is not embezzeling. If a person is doing an labor job and an admin job – which pay rate do you use?
Rebecca,
Hi. Public fatigue is a good point. I would err toward complacentcly. You know how safe people are when they start out and then after a while they get sloppy.
Like radiation one never feels the effects of a virus till it is too late. People will fatique of wearing a mask, gloves and social distancing. Comfort is critical in daily PPE. Vigilance is critical in protection.
With all the new technolgy there must be new solutions. I’m not sure I see a way around faith congregations. We are a social species. Building a camp fire, giving a presentation out under the stars is still mezmerizing (sp?).
These are good questioins for dealing with school closures and the repricussions.
Please post more.
Regards,
Kobie
“Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life..” – Monty Python and the Life of Bryan.