Appendix D: Audience Questions List
Workshop audience members participated in moderated question and answer sessions with the panelists at the conclusion of each presentation. Themes to the questions emerged surrounding a pandemic event situation. The questions generated during the workshop are categorized below, and can be added to the initial “Probable Stakeholder Concerns List” referenced in Appendix C.
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASE 6
Businesses
B-1. Will the federal government provide assistance to businesses that suffer significant losses due to the pandemic?
B-2. How will this affect businesses and daily functions in a community, and are there measures to counteract those affects?
B-3. What is the threshold on absenteeism?
Coordination and Communication
CC-1. How is the federal government coordinating planning and response efforts?
CC-2. How is communication/public information controlled on “blog” Web sites?
CC-3. How can we address communication strategies internationally?
Government Planning and Authority
GA-1. Who is in charge?
GA-2. Who or which office in the federal government is the nearest to absolute authority about pandemic issues?
GA-3. What universal criteria is/will be used to rank government activities so that a determination can be made to stop certain activities and determine the degree of risk present to employees?
GA-4. Will there be government funding to aid in implementing these pandemic plans at the local level (i.e., local health departments)?
GA-5. Has there been any research on which Critical Infrastructure/Key Resources (CI/KR) would be affected most by a pandemic?
GA-6. What is the expectation of the public in terms of the response to pandemic flu from hospitals, local public health, state, voluntary agencies, federal, etc?
Healthcare
H-1. How can I protect noninfected patients?
H-2. How will pandemic flu affect emergency rooms for people with nonflu emergencies?
H-3. What can be done to prepare emergency rooms, primary care providers, and first responders for a pandemic? How do we discover other critical personnel categories that need resources?
General Pandemic Event
GP-1. How long does flu last?
GP-2. How long am I contagious?
GP-3. How does flu spread?
GP-4. What is the recovery rate?
GP-5. Is there an effective treatment?
GP-6. How should I care for someone who is sick?
GP-7. Who is most at risk for getting the flu?
GP-8. How do we dispose of the dead? What should I do if I was around someone who died?
GP-9. Where can I find information and guidelines about what to do?
GP-10. How long will it take for government services to reach me?
GP-11. How are essential services (police, firefighters, hospitals, postal service, government) going to continue functioning?
GP-12. How will we know when the pandemic is in the United States? How will we know when it is over?
Preparation and Protection
PP-1. What can I do, both now and during a pandemic, to prepare and protect my family?
PP-2. How much food and water should I have stored? How can I make sure my water is safe if chlorine runs out? Do I have to boil my water for all uses?
PP-3. What can I do to reduce the chances of getting the flu? Will antibiotics or the seasonal flu shot help?
PP-4. How do I disinfect my hands and other materials?
PP-5. Should I stay home?
PP-6. Will wearing a mask keep me safe? Will it keep others safe if I am infected?
PP-7. Where do I go to get the vaccine or a mask?
PP-8. How can we be a good neighbor but still stay safe?
PP-9. Will my family be cared for while I’m deployed?
PP-10. What should I do if I think I have the flu?
PP-11. When, if at all, should I go to the doctor or emergency room?
PP-12. How can I protect my staff?
PP-13. How can I get more than 30 days of my prescriptions?
Pets
Pets-1. Is it safe to be around my pets?
Pets-2. Can I catch it from them or give it to them?
Pets-3. What do I do if my pet gets sick?
Quarantine and Travel
QT-1. Is the federal government preparing guidelines/recommendations for local and state governments for quarantines?
QT-2. How will quarantines be coordinated between states?
QT-3. How will areas get supplies during quarantines?
QT-4. Is it safe to travel during a pandemic? What kind of precautions are being discussed?
Schools and Children
SC-1. Who makes the decisions that schools should be closed? How is it decided?
SC-2. What should I do with my children if school closes? Who will take care of them?
SC-3. Can the children still go out? Is it safe for them to play in the back yard?
Social Distancing
SD-1. Is social distancing sufficient to stopping the spread of a pandemic?
SD-2. How long will social distancing be necessary?
Special Populations and Services
SP-1. What can senior citizens who live alone do during a pandemic? How do they prepare, stay aware of events, and get vaccinations?
SP-2. Who will take care of people who live alone?
SP-3. Who can help homeless people?
SP-4. Where should a healthy pregnant woman give birth?
SP-5. In the event of a pandemic, how safe are the prisoners, their guards, and visitors?
SP-6. As a police officer, how can I safely arrest a symptomatic individual without getting sick if they resist arrest?
SP-7. Has there been an integration of mental health services?
SP-8. Will mental health services be able to handle the surge?
Vaccines
V-1. How should the vaccine process be prioritized? Who will make the decision? Who will be given priority?
V-2. Should family members of first responders get the vaccine?
