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Travel limitations may be corporately established, created by disruption of travel services, or imposed by government authorities under pandemic conditions. They may range from delays and cessation of travel to quarantine of passengers.
One of the first corporate travel planning decisions should determine when and how to establish limitations on travel. This is based upon your business needs, travel destinations, and events surrounding the illness itself. In the event that human-to-human H5N1 transmission occurs, you may want to suspend travel to that location. At the WHO’s Phase 5, you may want to suspend all travel. Within the context of restrictions that may be imposed by others, this is an important individual decision for your business. It may be a more difficult decision for a business whose existence depends on travel in contrast to one that would be only lightly impacted by a pandemic.
In the event of a human avian flu outbreak, governments are likely to invoke limitations or restrictions on travel. Members of the World Health Organization have accelerated implementation of rules that permit health screenings at borders, among other actions. While such actions are unlikely to stem the global spread of H5N1 infection, they are believed to be a short-term solution for containment.
An effective pandemic plan should recognize at a minimum three categories of travelers, whether short term or expatriate:
People at destination
Planners should carefully examine the medical services in a destination. In addition, planners should consider the necessity of travel to a destination should the WHO increase the Pandemic Alert to Phase 4. That plan needs to address whether travel may be limited to the immediate area or to nearby areas or countries, as well as providing for the return or evacuation of people in that location. In a 2006 study conducted by the National Business Group on Health, 53% of responding multinational companies reported plans to evacuate non-essential staff in the event of an outbreak in the area, 35% reported planning to evacuate ill employees, and 23.5% reported plans to evacuate business-critical employees in the event of an outbreak.
People involved in interrupted travel
In the event borders are closed or travel restricted, the potential exists for a traveler to be stranded somewhere rather than at point of departure or arrival. For example, someone returning to North America from Southeast Asia may be held at a connection point in Japan. Corporate plans need to consider how to effectively assist that traveler. For example, how would your company assist the stranded traveler whose supply of an important medication is about to be exhausted?
People who have returned from travel, especially from impacted areas
An effective plan needs to consider how to manage the return of an employee to the workplace if they have been in a location affected by H5N1 infection. This should include business or leisure travel, as the exposure to other employees is the same. Your plan may include:
- Reporting of destinations of travel and dates of travel.
- Guidelines restricting return to the workplace for a specified number of days following return from travel to infected areas.
- A method for reporting symptoms of illness, so that other travelers on the same trip may be alerted
- A process for reporting back to work once health is restored
Repatriating expatriates and travelers during a public health emergency can be chaotic. To facilitate a speedier departure, individuals should consider purchasing an open Business Class ticket. In the case of a rush to get out of the country, the holder of a business or first-class ticket is more likely to hold priority over people possessing economy class or similar tickets.
An important tool in supporting travelers will be the ability to identify travel locations with the H5N1 infection, communicating with travelers, coordinating return travel and providing care for those who are unable to move.
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