COMPANIES WITH staff whose work takes them to the mainland have made contingency plans in case of a bird flu outbreak.
Auditors at global accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu frequently travel to all corners of China.
'We have clients in the poultry business,' said Kenneth Mckelvie, Deloitte's chairman and partner-in-charge of protection practice. 'So if a staff member has a health condition that might make them susceptible to bird flu, we may ask them not to go, or delay that part the work.'
The company has about 1,800 staff members in Hong Kong, many of whom regularly cross the border.
'If an alert has been issued for an area with confirmed bird flu cases, employees will be told to stay away,' he said.
Swire Properties has set up a special committee comprising department heads, who will monitor the situation.