With COVID-19 appearing prominently in news headlines these
days, both federal and provincial governments are encouraging
preparedness. What is an employer's responsibility to employees
in the event of wide-scale infection? What steps can an employer
take in advance to ensure preparedness? This article provides some
answers.
While specific guidelines and responsibilities exist for those
working in health care, an employer in any industry can benefit
from having a workplace pandemic plan in place.
A pandemic is an epidemic crossing international boundaries.
While the decision that a pandemic exists is made by the WHO, a
high incidence of infection in Canada or a region of Canada could
still lead to the need for extraordinary measures. In such
circumstances, the responsible authority would be the Chief Public
Health Officer and/or local authorities in affected provinces or
territories.
