Greenfield graves for the bird-flu dead

[UKGuy]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/poli...icle1469742.ece

 

THE TIMES

March 05, 2007

Greenfield graves for the bird-flu dead

Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor

 

Greenfield land would be turned into burial grounds for thousands of victims in the event of an avian flu pandemic, under emergency plans being considered by the Government.

 

A nationwide shortage of cemetery space means that room would be needed to bury as many as 400,000 victims. A search is now under way to find greenfield sites on the edge of cities. Mass burial pits for the dead have been ruled out. Instead the plan is to create dignified, landscaped cemeteries that could become a memorial for victims.

 

Local government chiefs have been ordered to secure additional burial space as a priority after last month’s two-day exercise Operation Winter Willow, which tested Britain’s preparations for the grim reality of managing the dead and the sick and keeping the nation open for business.

 

It was the biggest emergency planning exercise since the end of the Cold War and involved 8,000 organisations and companies. One of the shortcomings identified was the lack of cemetery space. Councils must now agree contracts with companies supplying mechanical diggers so that individual burial plots may swiftly be prepared.

 

Should an epidemic hit, normal planning rules for the construction of public graveyards are to be scrapped.

A pandemic in which the H5N1 strain of bird flu mutates into a form that puts millions of people around the world at risk may be years ahead, but ministers and health chiefs are determined that the country must be made ready to cope.

 

A draft avian influenza contingency plan is to be published by the Department of Health this month and a final report completed by the summer.

 

The Times has learnt that families of the dead would still be able to choose between a burial or a cremation, but that lengthy funeral services are ruled out. Faith leaders have been asked to devise short religious services for the dispatch of the dead and to delay memorial services until the wave of disease is over.

 

In areas where the flu strain is rampant, schools would close and parents are to keep younger children under what amounts to house arrest. Emergency planning chiefs anticipate that the disease would spread more quickly among children as they have more physical contact with each other. Scientific experts have warned that a two-metre gap is required between individuals to stop the virus spreading through droplets.

 

Parents would keep their children at home for a period which may last from six to eight weeks. The Department for Education and Skills is preparing online learning projects in order that children may continue their education at home. Examinations would also be delayed if a pandemic occurs during traditional testing periods.

 

Ministers would relax the working hours directive, particularly for HGV drivers, who would work overtime to maintain distribution of fuel, food to supermarkets and money to banks. Other emergency laws requiring Parliamentary approval would be a suspension of strict financial reporting rules for companies where staff absences may make strict adherence to legal requirements impossible. Whitehall departments would operate around the clock and all key staff would have designated alternates.

 

But ministers have ruled out any special treatment for politicians or senior civil servants. There are no secret stock-piles of Tamiflu for the Cabinet or emergency chiefs.

 

A key part in the exercise was to keep the nation calm, with regular broadcasts urging people to behave sensibly.Supermarkets have agreed to move in vast quantities of key supplies such as bottled water, cleaning and disinfecting materials and flu remedies if the disease takes hold.

 

Crisis targets

—The aim is to keep the nation open for business

—International flights will not be banned, although airline companies must prevent the sick from travelling

—There are to be no road blocks outside cities

—Ministers do not want armed troops on the streets or afflicted communities treated like 17th century plague villages

—Police will guard antiviral drug supplies and vaccines

—Employers are to stagger working hours so that a reduced public transport system will be able to cope

—Healthy people are expected to go to work. An absenteeism rate of 15-30 per cent is expected in each business including MPs and peers in Parliament, which itself will not close

 

Got to admit, I'm getting impressed with our UK government response. It's been a long time coming, but this has got to be the best report on Bird Flu we've seen.

 

[Mother]

This is great UKguy, It's scary in the fact that it brings the bird flu closer to reality but at least your country is doing something about it and more to the point, letting it's citizens KNOW what it's doing.

 

I sure wish the US would get on the band wagon like that. They have hundreds of pages of pandemic plans already but it seems they are still telling states that they WON'T be there for them nor will they be there for us as individuals. We can only hope that the state and local governments pick up the slack and make some pretty healthy plans AND let us know what they are.

 

Bravo United Kingdom

[MommyofSeven]

I do have some issues with this, though...

 

1. Int'l flights will not be banned, but airlines are expected to stop the sick from flying.

 

How long is the incubation stage for BF? I foresee a greater need for security at airports as ticked off sick people are denied the flights they've paid good money for.

 

2. Police will guard drug supplies...

 

How? Absenteeism will be higher, no matter what they do. Not only the sick, but those caring for the sick, and those merely concerned about bringing the virus home will stay home. People who don't have stockpiles of supplies will be in a bad mood, and extra security will be needed at grocery stores, etc as well. Are private business owners expected to hire their own security? which brings to mind issues of private security firms shooting looters etc.

 

3. Healthy people are expected to go to work.

 

Again, incubation period is a factor here. I would imagine, that is someone sneezes in an office, they will be sent home. BF will probably happen during cold and flu season, so lots of people will be encouraged to stay home, in case what they think is a harmless cold is really BF.

 

All in all, yes, it is a plan, and SOME plan is better than none. I'm glad to see at least some nations preparing for this possibility (inevitability?). LIke Mother, I wish ours would.

 

Mo7

[Jewlzm]

Well atleast someone is keeping it in the news and out for the public to see. I dont see the US government doing anything to even prepare the public. The closed door approach IMHO is going to cause problems in the long run as the vast majority go into WHY mode. Looking for someone to blame.

[Mother]

I believe I read somewhere that our government (at least our state) was suggesting that the drugs and supplies for a pandemic should be kept at the prisons. Now THERE'S a vote of confidence in the nature of it's citizens

[UKGuy]

Hell yes. I got the story from www.newsnow.co.uk under Bird Flu and the story came from the online "The Times".

It's hardly general news.

 

Now I don't know anyone else that reads this stuff.

And I don't know of anyone personally that preps.

 

The stories are out there if you go looking but the UK general poplace just see the general stuff on BBC or ITN and thinks that's it.

 

Things have moved on a bit since the story I posted last year where the UK government ordered just 200,000 extra body bags. But the sheeple just don't see it.

[Mother]

Figures doesn't it. I wonder what it will take to get the Sheeples attention????? I sure hope it's not a bomb dropping on them.

 

It's just one more reason for each of us to try to get just one more person prepping......