Workplace worried about swine flu
TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: With swine flu making the rounds, here’s a big what-if. According to a new report, if all of the nation’s schools and day care centers were to close for a month because of the H1N1 virus, it could cost between $10 [billion] and $47 billion — conservative estimate, according to the Brookings Institution today.
We remember what the swine flu outbreak did to Mexico’s economy when it hit last spring. What are the nation’s businesses most worried about? A new survey is out and Marketplace’s Alisa Roth has more.
Alisa Roth: Businesses are worried about not being able to get the swine flu vaccine for their employees. And they’re not sure where to find out about it.
John Castellani is president of the Business Roundtable, the association of top CEOs that did the survey:
John Castellani: Nearly a third of our members have some questions about information. And that is, where do we get information on vaccines, what do the flu severity levels actually mean to business and who’s leading the flu preparation efforts, which of the government agencies?
But he says businesses are overwhelmingly prepared for an outbreak of swine flu. Among other things, more than 90 percent say they’ve updated their emergency plans since the first outbreak last spring.
In New York, I’m Alisa Roth for Marketplace.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
