18 | FORBES AFRICA APRIL 2020 FORBESAFRICA.COM
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A
PANDEMICONTHISSCALEWILLHAVEA
dominoeffectonsocietyatlargeandexpertsanticipate
hospitalsstrugglingtocopewiththevolumeofcases,
socialgatheringsbeingbannedoutright,andultimately
workplacesdisruptedinthewakeofthecontagiouscoronavirus.
Fornow(atthetimeofgoingtopress), Africaasa wholehas
a relativelylowercaseloadandisbetterpreparedthanmany
nationstodealwitha pandemic.SaysHendrikScholtz,anexpert
inpandemicmanagementwhoworkedonMERS(MiddleEast
RespiratorySyndrome)witha backgroundinpathologyandis
currentlyGeneralManagerattheworldwideheadquartersof
InternationalSOSinSingapore,responsiblefor1,200medical
doctorsand4,000paramedicsandnursesactivein 92 countries
globally: “The low numbers [in Africa] are a genuine reflection
ofthenumberofpeopleinfectedanda testamenttotherapid
identificationofcases.IncertainpartsofAfrica,thepublichealth
systemisverywellpreparedtodealwithanepidemic,especially
becauseoftheEbolaoutbreak.I havefullconfidenceinthehealth
system.”
Therearebroadlythreewaysbusinessescanpreparefora
pandemiconthisscale:increasetheaccessibilityandstandardof
theirhygienepracticesandworkplacehygienecompliance,enable
socialdistancingthroughremoteworkingtopreventthespread
ofthedisease,andpreparefora highrateofabsenteeism while
ensuringleaveandsickleavepoliciesare in place.
Hygienepracticesandcompliance
It’s almost devastating in its simplicity: it’s the basic hygiene
Withstockmarketsinsteepdecline,countriesinquarantine,andcasesof
Covid-19spreadingrapidlyaroundtheglobe,businesseshaveno option
but to brace themselvesforthisraging pandemic.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR
BUSINESS FOR THE CONTAGION
BY SAMANTHA STEELE