What help can the British Embassy and Consulate-General provide?
It is clear that, should a human flu pandemic occur, the virus would in all likelihood spread very rapidly, possibly affecting all countries within a matter of weeks. Given the likely disruption to transport, health services (including the National Health Service in the UK) and other local services, the level of consular assistance and the visa service which we can provide might be significantly reduced, not least because some of our own staff may be ill. In certain circumstances we may have to close the British Embassy and British Consulate-General temporarily to prevent the spread of infection. We have put in place a flu contingency plan for the Embassy and Consulate-General so that we can try to maintain a basic consular service in such circumstances. We expect this would include updates on our website; advice on medical facilities and transport links; a basic passport service; and increased capacity to receive telephone queries plus a help-line. You should be aware that in the even
