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Hospitality Today column Bird Flu – what is it all about? Bird flu is a hot and emotive topic and it has the potential to have a very significant impact on not only the hospitality sector but the New Zealand economy. However, the degree of planning which can be done, and the levels to which the industry can be prepared, needs to be put into perspective. Bird flu is a disease which is contracted by humans directly from birds. That is, the person needs to be in direct contact with an infected bird to contract the disease. Bird flu is not yet a disease which can be communicated between humans. The risk and the danger is that the current bird flu will mutate into a disease which can be carried and communicated between humans. For bird flu to become a real threat, that mutation first has to happen. Clearly it is everyone’s hope that in the first instance, this does not occur. Given however the mutation occurs and an outbreak happens, the first response will be to endeavour to contain the outbreak in the region where it originates. New Zealand’s precautionary approach will ensure that travellers from that area do not enter New Zealand. Given that containment is unsuccessful, New Zealand will take action to keep the disease out through a closed-border approach. This will have impact on the New Zealand tourism industry but as long as there is no introduction to New Zealand, the New Zealand domestic market will at least continue. Should the disease get through the net into New Zealand, the first step will be to attempt to contain it in the locality identified. This will certainly involve the closure of all venues where people gather which includes hospitality businesses, churches, schools, and so on. If it cannot be contained then the same approach will need to be taken across the country with all hospitality venues closed. The cost of such closure to staff, businesses, and the economy are immeasurable and major government intervention will be required. The key question is, just how much realistic and useful planning can a hospitality business do for such catastrophic closure? I believe the answer is limited to having a knowledge of the real situation, the real threats, and to ensuring that all individual employees and their families are alerted to how they need to react as individuals. The Ministry of Health are circulating to all New Zealanders information on this shortly, and there is excellent information available on the Ministry of Health website www.moh.govt.nz. Bruce H Robertson 17 February 2006 |
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