FACTBOX: Companies react to flu fears

(Reuters) - Companies are implementing travel restrictions in response to a potential flu pandemic that has claimed 149 lives in Mexico, and are poised to take more disruptive safety measures if necessary.

These are among the precautions being taken:

GENZYME CORP (GENZ.O)

Says travel to, from and within Mexico is currently prohibited. The maker of drugs for rare genetic disorders has above 40 employees in Mexico City and continues to operate in the area and ship therapies to patients.

CME GROUP INC

Distributing Centers for Disease Control information on the swine flu outbreak and other flu prevention tips to employees and members. Said it has an established business continuity team that coordinates specific plans for a variety of scenarios, including a pandemic.

GOOGLE INC (GOOG.O)

Closed its Mexico City office for the day, citing "an abundance of caution." Declined to comment on number of employees that work at the location, its only one in Mexico, nor how long the closure would last.

XEROX CORP (XRX.N)

Told employees who have visited Mexico for work or holiday not to come to work for 72 hours, the virus's incubation period. Posted hygiene tips on internal Websites.

DUPONT CO (DD.N)

Suspended travel to and from Mexico until May 6, when it will be re-evaluated. "Travel within Mexico is business critical only, and only if the employee is willing to travel," spokesman Anthony Farina told Reuters.

ERNST & YOUNG

Closed section of New York office after saying an employee had swine flu, but later said it could not confirm it was a verified case. Stepped up cleaning throughout its Times Square tower and said in a memo workers should feel free to work from home. Told employees on assignment or holiday in Mexico to consider returning home.

NOKIA (NOK1V.HE)

"Yesterday we gave new travel instructions because of the swine flu. The new guidance is that all non-essential travel from and to Mexico should be postponed for the time being," said Finland's Nokia, the world's largest mobile handset maker, which employs 3,500 in Mexico, mostly at a plant in Reynosa.

HONDA MOTOR CO (7267.T)

Japan's No. 2 automaker has suspended all global business travel until at least May 6 due to the outbreak. Honda, which has production facilities in Mexico, is considering sending Japanese families of expatriate workers home, although production was continuing as normal, a spokeswoman said.

HON HAI (2317.TW)

"We're limiting all non-essential travel to places that have seen cases of swine flu, and staff members returning from those areas will be quarantined for a period of time before being allowed to enter our factories and facilities," said Edmund Ding, a spokesman at the Taiwanese electronics parts firm.

Hon Hai, which makes and assembles components in Mexico for some of the world's biggest brand names such as HP (HPQ.N) and Dell (DELL.O), said it would close factories if called upon by government to stop the spread of infection.

FRESNILLO PLC (FRES.L)

The world's largest primary silver producer has postponed all non-essential travel, a spokeswoman for the London-listed but Mexico-based firm said, though it had seen no cases among its staff of about 1,500, and no operations had been affected.

The firm, a unit of Mexico's Penoles (PENOLES.MX), has a small head office in Mexico City, but the bulk of employees work at mines several hundred kilometers from the sites of the main outbreaks.

ADIDAS (ADSG.DE)

The world's second-largest sporting goods maker has issued a travel alert and is only allowing employees to travel to Mexico if urgent. It has also sent an email to all staff explaining the symptoms of swine flu and giving instructions on what to do in a case of an emergency.

SWISS RE (RUKN.VX)

"Employees who are traveling to Mexico in the near future are being advised to postpone their journey until further notice. Where travel is urgent and cannot be deferred, employees are advised to carefully read and follow the advice given by the World Health Organization," the Swiss reinsurer said.

LUFTHANSA (LHAG.DE)

The German airline has not taken any concrete measures as yet, but executive board member Stefan Lauer said the company had prepared plans in close coordination with health officials in readiness for any worsening in the situation.

"I expect that travel will be more restricted with regard to Mexico," he added.

FRAPORT (FRA.DE)

The German airport operator is looking at tightening checks at Frankfurt airport due to swine flu, but as yet there are no special precautions for passengers arriving from Mexico, it said.

DENSO CORP (6902.T)

The world's biggest listed auto parts maker said it has recommended families of its expatriate staff in Mexico return temporarily to Japan.

THOMSON REUTERS (TRI.TO)TRIL.L

The professional information provider has suspended travel to Mexico until further notice.

WOOLWORTHS (WOW.AX)

Top Australian supermarkets group Woolworths (WOW.AX) said it initially asked staff to cancel all non-essential overseas business travel but was rethinking that "because now all the advice is you can't contain it through lack of travel," Woolworths's spokeswoman Clare Buchanan said.

DRAX GROUP PLC (DRX.L)

"As with all critical industries, we have a good emergency plan for the event that we do end up with a reduction of staff near-term because of an epidemic," said Dorothy Thompson, CEO of the operator of Britain's largest coal-fired power station.

(Compiled by Will Waterman and Nick Zieminski; editing by John Stonestreet, Bernard Orr)