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.

'The team reports directly to the general managers, directors and even the chairman when necessary,' said Janny Lam, senior public relations manager at the property company. 'They monitor the situation closely and recommend action.

'We have staff on the mainland and senior people from our Hong Kong office often travel across the border. If any employees show bird flu symptoms they will be advised not to come into the office. And if it's a confirmed case of bird flu they will need medical certification after they recover stating that they are well enough to return to work.'

At insurance provider Manulife (International), a special team led by senior management has been set up to respond to the avian flu threat.

'Very few of our staff are required to travel to the mainland,' said Helena Lee, assistant vice-president, corporate communications, Manulife (International).

'Nevertheless, the company has advised all staff to update themselves on avian flu with information provided by the government and the World Health Organisation.'

Companies are drawing on

the lessons learned from the terrorist attacks in New York on

September 11, 2001, and the Sars crisis in 2003.

Another option in the event of an outbreak is the 'home office', whereby staff will work online from home in case of an emergency.

'This contingency plan, which preceded Sars, was activated during Sars, after the tsunami tragedy and the London bombings,' said Mr Mckelvie of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. 'Should we lose an office [because of bird flu infection], we will establish an emergency centre and put some staff there. But most work can be done from home, as long as we can communicate and provide technical support.'

Ms Tam of Swire Properties said: 'We have a second office, but working from home is a viable option. If anything happens we will put the safety of our colleagues first.'

At HSBC, staff are advised to pack a small hygiene kit, wash hands with liquid soap, avoid marketplaces that sell poultry or live birds, and eat only thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs.

'What we are doing is sharing with our staff the most up-to-date information from health authorities on the bird flu situation, and issuing guidelines on travel,' said Jeremy Haworth, HSBC senior regional business continuing planning manager.

'Travellers returning from places with cases of avian flu infection should consult doctors promptly if they have symptoms of influenza after the trip. Let doctors know your travel history and wear a mask to prevent the spread of the disease.'

Executives are also asked to keep up with the latest information regarding avian flu.

Jing Mei is a Hong Kong-based manufacturing company with several factories in the mainland. The management has urged its travelling Hong Kong executives to remain on company premises in the mainland as far as work allows.

'We learnt from the Sars outbreak,' said Julie Cheung, vice-president of administrative management, Jing Mei. 'If anybody is sick we will not allow them to travel.'

Additional reporting by Yenni Kwok