What can Companies Do to Prepare for the Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections that are typically mild, such as the common cold, though rarer forms such as SARS, MERS and COVID-19 can be lethal. Most coronaviruses aren't dangerous. But In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified a new type, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which can be fatal. The organization named the disease it causes COVID-19.

The outbreak quickly moved from China around the world. It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do - - - through person-to-person contact. Symptoms can show up anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure. Early on, they're a lot like the common cold. You might notice:

• Fever

• Cough

• Shortness of breath

Infections range from mild to serious. The virus can turn deadly if it leads to pneumonia, respiratory failure, or septic shock. Those most at risk of death are the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Most coronaviruses spread the same way other cold-causing viruses do: through infected people coughing and sneezing, by touching an infected person's hands or face, or by touching things such as doorknobs that infected people have touched.

According to European CDC, there are more than 108,000 confirmed cases and 3,800 deaths.  The U.S. has declared the crisis a public health emergency and is banning any foreign visitors who have come from China from entering the country. All U.S. citizens who have visited China’s Hubei province in the past 14 days will face mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Other visitors returning from China will be screened and asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Their movements will be monitored. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has activated the Health Portfolio Operations Centre to support effective coordination of federal, provincial and territorial preparedness and response to the emergence of COVID-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern; CNN has declared it a pandemic. Canada is preparing a pandemic response plan as coronavirus cases continue to climb. Whether the Coronavirus is a public health emergency, or a pandemic, is not the point. They key issue is the Coronavirus, if not taken seriously, has the potential to harm you, your employees, your customers and your business operations. What can business leaders to prepare for the potential impacts of the spread of this virus?

Some companies may choose a “wait and see” approach. Since the virus has the potential to create harm to you and your business, and since some of these activities may take time to develop, this writer is suggesting a more proactive approach. Even if your company doesn’t implement a plan until more data is produced, there can be great value in documenting the activities, resources. and timelines of such a plan. Here are few ideas to consider.

Employees

The HR department of each company could take the lead in communicating with employees. This could take two forms. Employees should receive an information document or fact sheet that contains the following elements:

• What is the Coronavirus?

• What are the symptoms?

• How is the virus transmitted?

• What can employees do to protect themselves (i.e. wash their hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer if that’s not available)

• Where can employees go to be tested?

• Is it safe to travel?

• Are there certain locations where it is preferable to communicate via conference call or web-based service rather than face-to-face?

• What should I do if I am diagnosed with the Coronavirus (i.e. seek medical care right away for a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing)?

• What should I do if I need to be quarantined?

• What will the company do if I am not able to perform my duties (due to the Coronavirus)?

• What is the company’s official sick-leave policies, including when employees shouldn’t come in to work?

Employees should also be sent a weekly status report based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/) and other official sources such as PandemicFlu.gov (www.pandemicflu.gov/). that contains the following:

• Statistics on the Coronavirus globally, in your country, state, province or city affected

• Impacts on the company’s employees, processes and customers

• What is the company doing in each of these areas?

Processes

The Coronavirus can impact a company’s supply chain and other key processes. All companies are encouraged to:

• Select a pandemic coordinator at every facility to oversee local planning and implementation processes, threat assessment and related financial considerations, and coordinate with headquarters

• Develop a backup plan for each business function

• Identify circumstances under which business may be forced to close or reduce levels of service

• Identify essential employees and other critical inputs (e.g., raw materials, suppliers, subcontractor services/products and logistics) required to maintain critical business operations by location and function during a pandemic.

• Identify backup personnel (i.e. salespeople to “pinch hit” for customer service personnel who may become ill, seek out temporary personnel agencies that can supply drivers or other interim personnel) for all key functions

• Consider alternate sources of supply and evaluate the possibility of bringing some offshore manufacturing back to North America

• Identify alternate processes (i.e. reroute calls from one location to another) should employees receive the virus in some locations but not others

• Train employees so designated individuals can perform the tasks of people who have the virus

• Consider asking some employees to work from home or to work staggered hours

Customers

Keep your customers in mind as you go through the process of coping with this virus.

• Stay in touch with your customers and keep the lines of communication open to ensure all pandemic plans work together to maintain business continuity

• Explore alternate ways of delivering your goods to them (i.e. drop shipping, alternate modes, direct delivery to their customers) if requested

• If your company is going to face a slowdown in production or delivery as a result of Coronavirus impacts, be transparent and honest with your customers so they can make alternate arrangements

At this point in time, there is much that is unknown about the spread of the virus. There are some observers that believe the worst of it will be over by summer. Due to the lack of quality data, the poor prevention practices of certain Asian and European countries, and the ease which this illness can be passed from one group of people to another, it is possible that this may lead to a pandemic. There is benefit in taking a thoughtful, methodical approach to the possible spread of the Coronavirus.

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