Planning for an outbreak
With COVID-19 warnings in the air, state’s employers brace for interruptions
In the wake of warnings from federal officials for communities to accelerate their contingency planning for any widespread outbreak of coronavirus in the United States, business associations are warning their members to step up their own preparations for possible disruptions.
As of Wednesday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was tracking 14 cases in the United States of coronavirus — which CDC and the World Health Organization reference as COVID-19 — not including nearly 40 more people known to have contracted the virus overseas who have returned stateside under quarantine. The National Institutes of Health announced on Tuesday an investigational clinical trial of a vaccine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The state Department of Public Health is posting advice at portal.ct.gov/dph about how to prepare for any spread of the coronavirus in Connecticut. CDC has updates at cdc.gov/coronavirus.
This week, the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services testified to U.S. Senate and House of Representatives committees that the nation could require 300 million face masks as a preventative measure.
“While the immediate risk to individual members of the American public remains low, there is now community transmission in a number of countries including outside of Asia, which is deeply concerning,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday. “We will likely see more cases here . ... We have enacted the most aggressive containment measures in the history of our country.”
The Trump administration wants $2.5 billion in funding to prepare for any rapid spread of COVID-19in the United States, but U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., described the figure as “a Band-Aid” against what she fears will be the actual cost of containing any spread of the virus.
In Connecticut and nationally, cities and towns are starting to grapple with how to deal with COVID-19 cases that may crop up in their school districts. If forcing precautionary closures, that could result in disruptions for working parents in jobs that require their physical presence, and who have no immediate recourse for child care.
“Secondary consequences of some of these measures might include missed work and loss of income,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Wednesday. “This whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe, but these are things that people need to start thinking about now . ... You should think about what you would do for child care if schools or day care (centers) close, if teleworking is an option for you. All of these questions can help you be better prepared for what might happen.”
In Norwalk, the human resources training and consulting firm OperationsInc has been fielding increasing numbers of queries on everything from employee health to strategies to maintain productivity in the event of any
employee absences. More than 100 clients have signed up for a webinar the company is finalizing on how to deal with coronavirus in the workplace. The firm has yet to pin down the day, but is targeting early next week.
“Top of mind right off the bat is whether to have your employees travel or not,” said OperationsInc CEO David Lewis. “Will you or won’t you continue to send your employees on an airplane, let alone on an airplane to a ... perceived hot spot? There’s a lot of chatter in our client base about whether its the employer’s choice now, or the pushback they are getting from employees that’s driving this decision — about looking at ways to limit if not completely suspend any type of travel for the time being.”
Lewis added managers should be thinking further ahead so they can plan effectively in the event of a rash of coronavirus cases in the United States, saying many companies already have remote working plans in place, but plenty do not. Many jobs also require workers to be physically present.
Chinese employers have dealt with the problem the past few weeks in the shutting down of factories, stores, restaurants and other work sites where people work elbow to elbow; or otherwise staggering shifts to limit exposure.
“We’re already going to issue something today, internally, that tells all of our employees to make sure — and I’m trying not to be panicky here — ... to make the assumption at the end of each day that you may not be able to come back to the office tomorrow,” he said. “As strong a statement as that is, I think it’s a good, practical approach.”
Under Connecticut law, employers with at least 75 people on the payroll must provide up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave for workers to care for close relatives who are dealing with serious health conditions.
The state is now in the process of expanding the law to compensate most employees for time off at companies of any size, starting in 2022. Funding for the program will come from a tax that kicks in next year on employer payrolls, at varying amounts of up to a half-percentage point.
According to Willis Towers Watson, a human resources risk consultancy with a Stamford office, companies should check with their insurance carriers or brokers about policies they may have in effect that cover interruptions to their business, and any limitations on claims.