Oklahoma businesses are urged to be ready for swine flu

Government officials are calling on U.S. businesses to help curb cases of the virus, which the World Health Organization projects 2 billion people could develop, and which has already been linked to more than 1,400 deaths.

"In Oklahoma, every business should treat a pandemic just like they would treat the threat of a tornado,” said Dick Rush, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer. "It might skip over your business and never affect you, but you should be prepared for it.”

Especially, Rush added, because Oklahomans spend more than one-third of their time in the workplace.

The Chamber, with the Health Department, has maintained a Web site for several years containing resources for businesses on how to deal with any sort of interruption such as a flu pandemic.

Even a strong economy calls for a plan, Rush said, and it’s even more vital in struggling economic times.

"We would encourage business owners to prepare for the flu under normal conditions, so those efforts should be amplified during a weak economy.”