The General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China has issued a circular which asks government departments and large business and social enterprises to take measures to deal with A H1N1 flu by adjusting their work time.

Companies are encouraged to provide employees flexible work schedules to balance the amount of staff that work together at any given time.

The circular states that while the epidemic is spreading globally, the number of A H1N1 patients in China is also on a rapid rise with more serious cases. The circular asks that effective measures be taken to prevent the spread of the disease by trying to reduce the number of serious cases and the number of deaths.

According to the circular, during the National Day Holiday period starting on October 1, efforts will be reinforced in key areas to prevent the epidemic. Schools at various levels should take measures for the epidemic prevention, and rural areas and urban communities should also work hard to prevent an epidemic of the disease.