Preparing for the worst

Much has been made of the potential effects of a flu pandemic, and I don't have much to add to the great work done at the flu wiki in an effort to prepare communities for the potential harms. But CTV has a useful commentary on how the effects of a pandemic could cut far into our economic well-being - and how few businesses are prepared for the problem:

Sherry Cooper, chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns in Toronto, said a flu pandemic could potentially result in a 25 to 35 per cent absentee rate at workplaces across the country...

As a virus spreads, Cooper predicts travel could be restricted, as the flow of goods and products across borders becomes limited. And manufacturing plants that rely on a global supply chain could be forced to cut back...

The challenge facing companies during a pandemic would be to keep operating. But Jason Myers, a senior economist with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said most operations just don't have the capacity to carry on through a crisis.

"I think for the majority of businesses in Canada, it's not on the radar," said Myers.

In fairness, it's difficult for a given business to divert resources away from its ongoing operations in order to perpare for what's only a possible outcome. But the lack of private-sector preparation should highlight the fact that governments can't count on other actors being ready in the all-too-foreseeable event that a pandemic does hit...and they thus need to be all the more prepared themselves.