‘Not going to overreact’ on flu virus

By Sean F. Driscoll

BusinessRockford.com

Rock River Valley businesses are adopting common-sense measures to keep their employees safe from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, despite the closures of the Belvidere and Kinnikinnick school districts.

Alpine Bank, for example, has a pandemic plan in place if the need arises, said John Vanderheyden, executive vice president of operations. That would include mandatory masks and gloves for tellers, and extra sick days for employees.

For now, though, it’s extra bottles of hand sanitizers and gloves for those who want them.
“We do deal with flu issues regularly,” Vanderheyden said. “Certainly, as a part of our business, we’re prepared, but we’re not going to overreact.”

Hamilton Sundstrand has started a site on the company’s intranet page devoted to the swine flu, spokeswoman Colleen Carroll said. It includes guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and local authorities on how to identify and mitigate the symptoms of the swine flu.

“Our goal is to keep our employees as safe and healthy as possible,” she said. “Employees have been given information on what to do if they are experiencing flulike symptoms and a self-assessment tool to gauge any symptoms or possible exposure.”

At the Belvidere Family YMCA, Executive Director Bill Holsker said staffers have kept up their normal cleanliness routines, including frequent sanitization of equipment and hand-washing regimens.

It has canceled after-school programs in the wake of Belvidere’s shutdown, but the open gym and pool hours remain available for students with a sudden rush of free time on their hands.

Monday didn’t prove to be busy, however.

“We had good weather, so kids should be outdoors enjoying it,” he said. “If it rains later this week, things could change. But people could also be hunkering down, waiting for this to pass.”

Companies haven’t reported the absence of many parents who need to watch their kids. But if parents can’t arrange child care, they probably will have to use personal days to stay home, YWCA Rockford CEO Kris Kieper said.

“Parents really should be looking for some sort of stopgap,” she said. “If Belvidere and Kinnikinnick will be closed for any length of time, we’ll see some social service agencies run some sort of day programs within their communities to meet that need.”

Reach staff writer Sean F. Driscoll at 815-987-1346 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.