Crises Control has created a series of pandemic response toolkits to help its customers prepare their own businesses to mitigate and respond to the potential disruptions presented by the COVID-19 outbreak.

These toolkits consist of a series of incident scenarios associated with a pandemic, including employee infection and quarantine, building closure, service interruption, working remotely and supply chain disruption. Each features a different scenario with pre-prepared messages to employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.

It also includes a series of recommended protocols to be followed to respond and mitigate each incident type, including hygiene, cleaning and infection control; management of suspected or confirmed cases; medical evacuation; anti-viral and vaccine medications; travel and HR management; alternative working practices; insurance and legal issues and communication and PR. A list of actions to help return to business as usual as quickly as possible is also available.

Managing director of Crises Control, Shalen Sehgal said traditional business continuity responses, such as moving to a back-up site will not work during a pandemic. "The problem will be with people being unavailable this time rather than the technology being unavailable. And the more globally spread the business the greater the risk," he explained.

“Unlike a standard business continuity event, where restoring technology is the greatest issue, during a pandemic technology will provide the solution rather than the problem. Telecommunications technology will provide communications tools and facilitate remote working.”

Senior consultant to Crises Control and former Statutory Deputy Mayor of London, Richard Barnes added: “The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economy is going to be massive and sustained. China generates around one quarter of the world’s output, including generic medicines used in the NHS and parts for mobile phones and computers. This will have a knock-on effect for businesses everywhere.

“But the real impact will be where there is a local outbreak, involving employees, customers or even family members, which could lead to individuals being quarantined and even buildings being closed. What Crises Control is doing is to provide a quick start toolkit that will help businesses to prepare for and handle such an event and its aftermath. The very survival of some businesses could be at stake in how they handle such an incident.”

Whilst the number of cases are rising, the World Health Organisation has not yet declared a global pandemic. Its official data from the 27th February reports 82,294 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus globally, of which 1,185 were confirmed in the last 24 hours, with the clear majority from outside of China. A considerable nine new countries (Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Norway, Pakistan, Romania and North Macedonia) reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

In the UK, two further patients have tested positive for the virus, having contracted it in Iran; bringing the total number of patients in England to 19.

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