Working From Home: Contingency Plans In Today’s Uncertrainty BY MARY DRAIN COVID-19, the novel coronavirus outbreak, has sparked sweeping measures to mitigate its spread across the Unit-
cent require admission to an intensive care unit. This and the contagiousness of the virus has led to social distanc- ing, voluntary isolation, and mandatory lockdown in some countries and circumstances. This situation brings real challenges. An article in Risk Management Monitor offers constructive things to keep in mind when reviewing your business continuity plan. They also offer a good reminder that although you may not be directly affected by a pandemic, a vendor in your supply chain could be. To protect your operations and ensure continuity of services or products to your customers, it is important that you: • Map your dependencies to understand where disrup- tions might impact your value chains. • Review the preparedness of your critical third parties (suppliers, vendors, service providers, etc.). • Identify points of failure in your business-systems.
ed States and the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) updat- ed guidance for doctors treating COVID-19 (March 13th) and provided explanations to categorize most of the cases doctors will see. According to the March 13th report, while most people with
COVID-19 develop mild or uncomplicated illness, approx- imately 14 percent develop a severe case of the disease requiring hospitalization and oxygen support and five per- Mary Drain
In addition, keep communication with your employees open. It’s important that they are aware of the probable scenarios and know what is expected of them. And what about the many jobs in our industry that require employee presence? Now is the time to re-evaluate your contingency plan, taking into account updated knowledge of the coronavirus. “Re-evaluate” is essential; new information on the virus and its ability to spread is being revised daily. Check and validate your sources. Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Reddit, and Twitter are part of a group, inviting others to join its efforts to combat fraud and misinformation about the virus and elevate authoritative information on their platforms. On a personal level you may ask, “Why should I care if I don’t think I’ll get very sick?” or “Isn’t preparation for isolation selfish and extreme?” Social distancing requires preparation and is widely seen as the best available means to flatten the curve of the pandemic. “Flatten the curve” is how epi- demiologists describe slowing the spread of infection. An individual who doesn’t get very sick can pass the infection along to others and some of them may have to be hospitalized. “A surge of patients with the virus could fill beds also needed by a broad range of other people, such as cancer patients, new- borns or car accident victims,” stretching limited hospital resources and health-care workers dangerously. “This is a condition that may not pose a threat to the individual but a threat to the community,” warns Josh- ua Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health
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www.boardconvertingnews.com
March 30, 2020
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