COLUMNS

When Contingency Plans for Pandemics and Other Disasters Encounter Reality

Mar 24, 2020 | 11:00 GMT

An empty office. Government measures intended to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the operations of companies and organizations across the globe.

An empty office. Government measures intended to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the operations of companies and organizations across the globe.

(Monkey Business Images/SHUTTERSTOCK)

Government measures intended to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the operations of companies and organizations across the globe. These measures are interrupting or ending business travel, impacting the ability of employees to work together in offices, and complicating and even severing supply chains. Globally, entire industries have nearly ground to a halt, many businesses are shuttered and millions of people are out of work. Because of these conditions, the next few months are going to be extremely difficult for anyone attempting to conduct operations -- especially transnationally. In fact, for many of us, this period may very well prove the most challenging of our careers....