On April 14, Hörby's municipal council will decide on a new action plan for pandemics. The plan of action that exists is from 2009 and lacks current legislation and national guidelines.

Hörby is not the only municipality that has failed in the handling of action plans. They should be updated at least once per term, as decided by many municipalities, but this has not been done. Instead, updates to the action plans are decided in the middle of the ongoing coronary pandemic.

"Wise to Update"

The County Administrative Board recently reminded the municipalities to review the issue.

- We have said that it is a wise action that you update if you have not done so in a few years, says Marcus Björklund, emergency preparedness director at the County Administrative Board of Skåne.

For example, in February, Svalöv decided on a new action plan for pandemics, in Kristianstad the plan was updated in March this year. As in Hörby, the old plans were in the municipalities from 2009.

Then the swine flu remains

Many municipalities decided on pandemic action plans in 2009 after the swine flu and that the Swedish National Audit Office raised an alarm in a report that the preparedness for pandemics in the municipalities was inadequate.

Osby's plan of action is also from 2009.

- There is a proposal for a new pandemic plan, it is being updated, says Osby's municipal director Petra Gummesson.

- Everything is handled according to the rulebook even if it is not updated, she adds.

Many old action plans link to the Infectious Diseases Institute, which no longer exists and has been replaced by the Public Health Authority.