Members of the Owen Sound Police Service are taking steps to avoid getting sick or spreading illness.
Chief Tom Kaye says officers have been given bottles of hand sanitizer to carry with them — both on their persons and in the glove compartments of cruisers.
Sanitizing stations have been established around the police station.
Officers have also been issued rubber gloves and N-95 face masks, which are designed to filter 95 per cent of airborne particles.
These items are to be worn when officers believe they may come into contact with someone who is ill.
Kaye says officers and civilian staff are not required to receive vaccinations for the seasonal flu or for the H1N1 flu — but they’re being encouraged to get the shots as soon as they are able to do so.
And if they’re sick, Kaye says they’re being told to stay home.