As the spread of the virus continues globally, interrupting supply chains along the way, Marsh has issued a four-step action plan to help organisations prevent, respond and recover.

Unlike more regional events like hurricanes, earthquakes, or terrorist attacks, a pandemic is a global event with global implications.

"All industries have the potential to be impacted. Hardest hit of all will be small, highly localised businesses with limited resilience, but any company with worldwide operations, global supply chains, and international customers could be significantly disrupted. Furthermore, as seen with coronavirus and influenza A, local, state, and national governments may ban travel, close schools, quarantine individuals and/or ban public gatherings," its report reads.

Using its experience of planning and response activities during the Zika, SARS and avian flu outbreaks, its specialists have developed practical plans that integrate into existing business resilience and business continuity arrangements.

Official World Health Organisation data reports 80,239 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus globally, of which 908 were confirmed in the last 24 hours. Of these, 518 were reported in China, as numbers reported elsewhere have begun to balance the total, with Italy being joined yesterday by the WHO and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control mission to support authorities on the outbreak there.

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