Swine flu: British government draws up contingency plans - Telegraph

Swine flu: British government draws up contingency plans - Telegraph

The Government has drawn up contingency plans in the event of a swine flu pandemic gripping Britain. Proposals are based on reducing human contact and also to deal with a huge rise in the number of deaths.

They include:

*The Crown Prosecution Service taking fewer offenders to court.



The CPS would instead issue more fines and cautions for minor crimes such as theft and drugs offences, and some crimes involving violence, rather than take the offender through the courts and risk spreading the illness there.

A CPS insider said: "The prospect of a major crown court along with the prosecutor's department being brought to its knees by swine flu is something to be avoided at all costs."

*Banning crowds from major sporting events.

The Football Association and Premier League are understood to have drawn up plans with the Department of Health under the Civil Contingency Act to ban crowds at live sports events. It could even spread to events like the Ashes series and golf's Open championship.

Football clubs had already drawn up plans on how to manage crowds at the time of the bird flu crisis but did not have to put them into operation.

However, thousands more are expected to contract swine flu and Premier League chairmen, along with their counterparts in the lower leagues, will dust them off should the Government decide further action is necessary.

*Setting up emergency mortuaries.

A 59-page document entitled "Planning for possible influenza pandemic: a framework for planners to manage deaths" raises the prospect of using shipping containers and inflatable storage facilities as emergency mortuaries.

It also suggests local planners should consult with crematoria to see whether it is practical to move to "24/7 working".

*Ensuring businesses are ready.

The Government has produced a range of documents to help businesses deal with the pandemic in the event they lose a lot of staff to the illness. Among the suggestions is a hit squad of workers trained to undertake a variety of key tasks.

*Longer sickness leave

Anyone infected with swine flu can stay off work for 14 days without a doctor's note. Employees can currently be off for seven days, including weekends and bank holidays, without needing a sick note from their GP, but ministers plan to extend this to allow time for a proper recovery. Sufferers have been warned to stay away from doctors' surgeries and it is hoped that the 14-day period should relieve a lot of extra pressure as GPs struggle to cope with the pandemic.