The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce and the Rockingham Memorial Hospital held a H1N1 influenza virus meeting at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community Center. Tuesday's focus was business preparedness.

On Tuesday, local business owners learned the best prevention for H1N1, also known as swine flu, in the workplace is education. Employers are urged to constantly remind workers to sneeze into their sleeve, wash their hands and stay home if they develop a fever of 100 degrees or more.

Nearly 30 people from area businesses came to learn more about the flu, what predictions there are for future outbreaks and how it can affect employees.

Those who attended had a chance to ask questions and get advice from a human resources standpoint. That standpoint suggests changing policy when it comes to sick time or paid time off.

Officials also recommend vaccination against the flu.

Labor and Employment lawyer Cathy Welsh says, "Many people have very high work ethics. We come to work even if we're not feeling well, because we want to get that job done, because we want to help our customers and that is very laudable. But in this environment we're starting to rethink that and thinking maybe it's better for our customers and coworkers if we don't come to work with that fever."

RMH officials suggest workers get both the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines as well as encourage coworkers to do the same.