EDITORIAL: Business must plan for virus

A survey conducted last week by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance revealed that businesses reported marginal disruption as a result of the coronavirus outbreak that has hit social and economic life around the world.

While the economic impact has largely been felt in China, which reported the first coronavirus case in December, the threat — direct or indirect — exists for markets and firms globally. Already several airlines have become casualties.

The World Health Organisation has come short of calling the outbreak a pandemic, but the director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus warned this week that the threat “has become very real”.

Though Africa has remained largely unscathed in terms of infections, at least 10 countries have now confirmed 100 COVID-19 cases, with one death in Egypt.

With no case confirmed in Kenya, it is high time that businesses adopted smart policies that will ensure operations go on should a lockdown be called for in a worst-case scenario.

Business owners and managers need to identify staff crucial to keep operations running and equip them on remote working. It would be prudent to ensure they find money to keep at hand to run operations or they will collapse. The time to act is now.