This is the first major climacteric in this century’s economy, the Coronavirus is not slowing down, there is a decline in economic growth, the best organizations are struggling to protect the health of their employees & the World Health Organization (WHO) divulged that the world had entered uncharted territory as new infections dropped in China but surged elsewhere, compelling companies to develop contingency plans to facilitate their operations.
In the United States alone, the death toll rose to 21 on Sunday with more than 500 cases in more than 30 states, and more than 80 registered cases in the Netherlands. Big tech companies worldwide are assessing the need for their employees to do their jobs from home for at least a few weeks or maybe longer depending on the virus spread status quo, Amazon, Google & Microsoft have asked employees to remain at home in the infected areas, Twitter urged its 5,000 global staff also to do so, Panasonic and Mitsubishi have recommended remote work for tens of thousands of staff embracing a more flexible work style, this week Apple CEO Tim Cook urged many of the company global employees to work remotely, although it is not considered as a perfect solution but it can contribute to slow down the spread of the virus.
In Japan, authorities have urged companies to break long-standing taboos and encourage employees to work from home to restrict the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on schools across the country to shut down, Google has made previously premium features of its Google Hangouts communication software free for all to make distance learning more convenient, such features include up to 250 participants on one call and capacity for 100,000 live stream viewers, by all means the increase in people who work remotely denotes the need for good secured broadband infrastructure & students will require access to the requisite materials, the question remains if we do have what it takes on the island for the companies and the government entities to become remote workers in case of a potential outbreak.
