As this country faces two presumptive cases of coronavirus in Ontario and one in B.C., retailers and customer-facing companies are likely dusting off their business continuity plans in case of a possible outbreak.
At least one business lobby group has opined that business continuity is not regulated in Canada, thus, unless a national emergency was declared, some of these regulatory measures would be difficult. Another has suggested when it comes to companies within business hubs such as Toronto that are in daily contact with customers all over the world, it will be more difficult for the company to control what’s happening in their workplace.
Risk managers would typically help companies construct a business continuity plan that should address everything from saving lives to protecting infrastructure and regulating the core functions of a business in the middle of a crisis.
But with so few presumptive cases in Canada right now, one expert said it wouldn’t be the time to implement parts of the continuity plan yet, but companies should start thinking about how they can temporarily change their business structure if the virus were to spread.
