The world has entered a global health emergency, as declared by the World Health Organization approximately a month ago, on January 30th 2020, and panic continues to arise.
The distressing effects of this outbreak are quickly and alarmingly increasing: cases worldwide have now been confirmed in more than two dozen countries, ranging from neighboring Asian countries to Europe and all the way to the United States.
The novel coronavirus strain that originated in December of 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan is acquiring a lot of attention because it poses so many unknowns and has been infecting multitudes of people at an astonishing rate. In addition to the 80,000 people infected and nearly 3,000 killed by this recent epidemic in China alone, there are currently thousands unidentified yet suspected cases worldwide.
With this global emergency -- recently, an official at the US Center for Disease Control commented on the issue, saying that it was not a question of if but when the virus would become a global pandemic status --comes a vast amount of threats, both in regards to human health and the fragile economy of the world today. There will be potentially crippling economies, paranoid travelers, and restrictions on movement between countries.
This article looks at how the novel coronavirus will impact the world of business travel and informing those whom it may concern on precautions they may need to take while crossing borders over the next few days, weeks, and months.
First things first-- what is the coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a member of a larger family of viruses, causing illness in both humans and animals. For humans, the threat
coronavirus poses on respiratory systems has the potential to be quite large. It can be asymptomatic or it can simply appear as a common cold --
though there are more critical cases in which there will be symptoms similar to more severe diseases such as pneumonia or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Coronavirus disease COVID-19is the most recently discovered infectious coronavirus, with typical symptoms such as fever, cough, trouble breathing, and aches or pains.COVID-19 is contracted through contact with an infected person, particularly through respiratory droplets by someone who has been coughing, making it spread very rapidly.
How does it affect business travel?
Thanks to the novel coronavirus, the travel and tourism industries are taking a huge hit.One sector that is being hit hard-- airlines. Business travelers all over the world will be encountering many difficulties if their flights involve an Asian country either as a final destination or layover.
Due to the hysteria surrounding the disease, there has been a significant decrease in the amount of flights booked anywhere near China. Also, airlines are trying to help stop the spread of disease by lowering the amount of passengers flying every
day.
So far, around 200,000 flights have been cancelled and at least seventy three airlines have cancelled flights to China. From January 23rd to February 13th, the number of daily departures and arrivals for domestic and international flights in China dropped immensely -- beginning with 15,072 and ending up at 2,004 -- Flightradar24an industry data firm. Numerous airlines are suspending their flights to mainland China until mid-April. Other airlines, including some of the main airlines in the United States -- American, United, and
Delta -- are suspending all flights to Hong Kong as well.
As of right now, the suspension is supposed to last less than two months, but depending on the progression of the epidemic, it could be extended.
As for business travel, it will be difficult and more expensive for companies to find flights to attend international conferences and meetings in the
desired place and time until the spread of the virus is greatly slowed down.
Not only are flights heavily affected by this outbreak, but according to Forbes, large companies such as McDonalds, Starbucks, and Disney have already suspended business in China, along with brands like H&M, who is closing a few thousand of their stores located in the country. Facebook and Microsoft have already restricted their employee travels to and from China, heavily limiting business travel. As such, meetings and convention organizers are wrestling with the decision of whether or not to go forward with scheduled events that include global attendees, and corporations weigh their attendance.
For those who have been traveling, they cannot help but notice the panic and precaution this virus and the media’s coverage of it has implanted in humans worldwide.
Executive Travel founder and president Steve Glenn said "people were wearing face masks everywhere" at a convention he attended in Frankfurt earlier this month. "Not many people in Europe have been infected by the coronavirus yet, but its effect can already be seen in many ways here," he said. "Attendance was down 25 percent for some exhibitors. I think the world economy will be hit hard by the virus during the first half of 2020."
Economic experts agree that the novel coronavirus is not solely a cause of concern because of the rapid spread of the disease -- the economic impacts that the disease is causing could be felt around the world.
Diane Swonk, Grant Thornton's chief economist commented on the issue, "It may not yet be called a health pandemic, but it is an economic pandemic." There is a risk of significant damage to economies that are growing at a slow pace or, as in the case of countries such as Italy, Germany and Japan, which are already at risk of recession, COVID-19 outbreaks could push them over the edge, throwing them into economic turmoil. For, in the event of a recession, businesses are threatened. And the spread of the coronavirus has already begun to affect companies. Above all, automotive and technology companies have been particularly hard hit.
When businesses have a tough break such as this, they will start cutting unnecessary expenditures. Unfortunately, this may include layoffs or reduced business travel. Those who normally travel with their company may find themselves stationary more than usual during the dispersion of the virus.
Unfortunately, the explosion of social media has drastically accelerated the spreading of news, particularly in times of panic. COVID-19 is no exception to this. Unless the news report is from a credible source, such as the World Health Organization or the Center for Disease Control, information found online should be double checked-- many sources tend to exaggerate their material. This misinformation can cause unnecessary fear and uncertainty in many, which can be particularly dangerous for business leaders who mistakenly make decisions based on misleading information. Business travelers must make sure to keep informed by facts as opposed to hyperbole, and not get worked up every time they board a plane.
So, are business trips safe?
Without a doubt, business travellers crisscrossing the globe should be aware of the virus and avoid heavily populated areas. At the moment, countries such as Canada, the United States, and Australia have greatly warned citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to China and the province of Hubei due to very strict travel and movement restrictions.
Those who have visited China following February 1, 2020, are subject to quarantine upon arrival into various nations..
It is necessary to understand that the possibility of acquiring this infection outside China or specifically from the epicenter of the epidemic, Hubei province, is low unless virus activity continues to increase in other countries. There are few cases still present in European countries such as Italy, France and Germany, as citizens have recently visited China or have been in contact with an infected person. Every day, the number of cases outside China is growing. The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the sudden increase in cases in countries outside China is "deeply concerning." The best thing companies and business travelers can do is to monitor their destination and decide whether or not it is a high risk to travel there. For the time being, it is imperative to update individual country and airline travel bans and regulations, as the virus and its long-term effects pose many unknowns for health officials around the world.
To prevent contracting COVID-19 through business travel,people must practice regular precaution measures for respiratory sickness.This includes proper hand hygiene, either with warm water and soap to kill any viruses that may be on your hands, or an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Sneezing and coughing should be directed into the elbow so that there will not be any liquid droplets lingering in the air. As your hands touch many surfaces throughout the day, be cautious to refrain from touching your eyes, nose, and mouth to prevent viruses from entering your body. Keep a three foot distance away from those who have been infected, according to Dr. Carmen Dolea, Head, IHR Secretariat at the World Health Organization. In regards to masks, they are very useful for those who are sick and prevent the virus from spreading further.
Article written by Maddy Lenaerts and Olivia Ahlborg for Vyootrip
