• Have you gotten married or divorced?
• Have you had a baby?
• Did your teenager get a driver’s license?
• Have you switched jobs or experienced a significant change in your income?
• Have you done extensive renovations on your home?
• Have you decided to buy a vacation or potential retirement home?
• Have you acquired any new valuables such as jewelry, electronic equipment, fine art, antiques?
• Have you signed a lease on a house or apartment?
• Have you joined a carpool?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, give us a call to update your policy. (410) 504-1002

• Talk with your local public health officials and health care providers, who can supply information about the signs and symptoms of a specific disease outbreak and recommend prevention and control actions.

• Adopt business practices encouraging sick employees to stay home, and anticipate how to function with a significant portion of the workforce absent owing to illness or caring for ill family members.

• Practice good health habits, including eating a balanced diet, exercising daily, and getting sufficient rest.

• Take steps to stop the spread of germs, including frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying away from others as much as possible when you are sick.

• Stay informed about pandemic influenza and be prepared to respond. Businesses can receive e-mail updates on guidance and H1N1 facts and figures virtually daily through the federal government’s clearinghouse for influenza information: www.flu.gov.

At the end of the day, both the public and private sectors must incorporate the lessons we learned this spring. Being prepared to respond to an emergency is in a business’ own interest; it is also a shared responsibility of both business and government to become actively engaged in preparation and prevention efforts—working separately and together.