With vaccines on the horizon, here’s how business leaders can plan ahead

‘Vaccine announcements get the globe closer to eradicating the virus, but questions still remain. Business leaders will need to consider a range of potential scenarios for access and distribution to adjust to the changes still ahead. For business planning only, Salesforce Future Lab developed a selection of hypothetical scenarios in discussions with leading experts to help leaders understand the range of scenarios for which they might need to plan.’

Hypothetical Scenario 1: “Zero Hurdles” -- In this scenario, business leaders could look forward to the crisis ending as quickly and evenly as possible around the world. In-person work and consumer confidence could come back close to pre-crisis levels over the summer and fall of 2021, though masking, distancing, and ventilation would still be necessary for many more months.

Hypothetical Scenario 2: “Sprint and Stumble” -- In this scenario, many business leaders might initially make investments betting on a rapid re-emergence from crisis conditions, only to be surprised as optimism evaporates. As the crisis stretched on, those who recognized the continuing risk would likely be in the best position, but even they would still face stiff economic headwinds.

Hypothetical Scenario 3: “Long March” -- In this scenario, business leaders could be increasingly challenged to maintain the safety of their staff and customers before the vaccine arrives, as the public becomes less willing to adhere to public health guidance. But after its arrival, the impact is similar to “Zero Hurdles” above, with a relatively rapid return to workplace safety and consumer confidence.

Read here (World Economic Forum, Nov 25, 2020) 

What to expect when flying now (and in the future)

Air travel is full of opportunities for coronavirus transmission. Touchless check-in, plexiglass shields, temperature checks, back-to-front boarding and planes with empty middle seats are all now part of the flying experience, and the future may bring even more changes. Illustration: Alex Kuzoian

Watch here (Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2020)

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’

‘[US] Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that shutting down the economy for a second time to slow Covid-19 isn’t a viable option. The Treasury secretary’s comments came as Wall Street grew more concerned about a second wave of coronavirus cases in the US. Mnuchin also said he’s prepared to return to Congress to request additional fiscal spending to help juice the economy if needed.’

Read here (CNBC, June 11, 2020)

How to avoid the virus as the world reopens

‘Three key factors determine risk of exposure: proximity to people; duration of exposure; and how confined the environment is. The greatest peril lies where the three overlap. “The biggest risk is being in close proximity to someone in an indoor space for any extended period of time,” said Jeremy Rossman, honorary senior lecturer in virology at the University of Kent. The perception of risk and the actual scientific risk have sometimes diverged, he noted. “I don’t think that’s been very clearly communicated”.’

Read here (Financial Times, June 10, 2020)

‘Are you immune?’ The new class system that could shape the Covid-19 world

‘...experts predict that if survivors are found to be immune, they could perform a range of jobs and services – such as volunteering in hospitals and nursing homes, caring for coronavirus patients and working in shops and food processing plants – risk-free. And, depending on how authorities, business and society at large respond, they could also be entitled to greater freedoms.’

Read here (The Guardian, June 10, 2020)

Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says

‘Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, the World Health Organization said. Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated the virus could spread even if people didn’t have symptoms. But the WHO says that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is “very rare.”

Read here (CNBC, June 8, 2020)

K number: What is the coronavirus metric that could be crucial as lockdown eases?

‘K sheds light on the variation behind R. “Some [infectious] people might generate a lot of secondary cases because of the event they attend, for example, and other people may not generate many secondary cases at all,” said Dr Adam Kucharski, an expert in the dynamics of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “K is the statistical value that tells us how much variation there is in that distribution.” But unlike R, K numbers are not intuitive. “The general rule is that the smaller the K value is, the more transmission comes from a smaller number of infectious people,” said Kucharski.’

Read here (The Guardian, June 1, 2020)

8 ways Covid will transform the economy and disrupt every business

‘In this report, we look at eight major trends underway in the world, and pinpoint the possibilities for savvy business operators, investors and innovators. We all know how much our lives have changed, and how we’re not likely to go back to our old ways. We’ll be more cautious but we also may be more creative. As history likes to remind us, with unprecedented times come unprecedented opportunities.’

Read here (RBC Thought Leadership, May 22, 2020)

Testing rate here among highest in world - over 281,000 done so far

‘Over 281,000 tests for Covid-19 have been carried out on 191,000 individuals [in Singapore] so far, the Health Ministry's director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, said yesterday. This comes to around 49,000 tests per million people in the country...’

‘Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the task force, pointed out that the Republic has already drastically increased its volume of daily tests [from 2,000 to 8,000 a day]. "We're today already testing at a rate that's among the highest in the world, and we want to do even more beyond this. As we reopen the economy, as we resume activities, testing capability and testing capacity will be a critical enabler for us to do all of these things safely."

Read here (Straits Times, May 20, 2020)

Guide for Covid-19 prevention in schools

‘As we attempt to open schools and learn from the few countries that have done so, we must recognise that the key will be to try and create a bubble (a shield) in which students who go to school "live in" so as to minimise infection spread. This "bubble" also means that if one group has Covid-19 infection, only they are isolated and the rest of the school can probably continue.’

This guide by Amar-Singh HSS and Shyielathy Arumugam can be downloaded here.

Read here (Malay Mail, May 20, 2020)

Singapore schools to open in phases from June 2 after Covid-19 circuit breaker: How this will work

‘Students will return to school from June 2 over two phases as part of the easing of the coronavirus circuit breaker measures that are expected to end on June 1. Here are some of the adjustments planned for schools and pre-schools that the Government announced on Tuesday (May 19).’

Read here (Straits Times, May 19, 2020)

No exit strategy until high SOP compliance from Malaysians, says DG

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there needs to be a high compliance rate for the standard operating procedure (SOP) under the conditional movement control order (MCO) as well as a steady two-digit daily new Covid-19 cases before an exit strategy can be discussed. “Before we can discuss an exit strategy – and we are not discussing an exit strategy now, only loosening under the conditional MCO – Malaysians must comply (with the SOP). If they do not comply, we might extend the conditional MCO...’

Read here (Malaysiakini, May 18, 2020)

No shortcuts and people must get used to a new way of living, warns WHO's chief scientist

‘It is critically important for governments to present facts in a way that people really understand what the Covid-19 coronavirus is, and the logic behind some of the measures put in place, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO). When countries open up, their basic principle must be to test people with symptoms, identify the contacts and quarantine them until they are free of the risk of getting the disease, she said in an interview. "Those basic principles will have to be actually followed by governments and cities everywhere. There's no shortcut to that," she warned.

Read here (Straits Times, May 18, 2020)

The Covid-19 Chronicles: The changes we should aim to keep

‘...There are appreciable changes on a societal scale that we can maintain beyond Covid-19... First is the recognition of frontliners, health professionals and experts... The second are the transdisciplinary approaches i.e. all onboard problem solving that has become the necessary norm in dealing with Covid-19... Finally, the collaboration boom would not be possible without the unfettered use of the Internet for facilitating communications and processes.’

Read here (The Star, May 17, 2020)

When it’s time to go back to the office, will it still be there?

‘In a late-April survey among corporate real estate users by the trade group CoreNet Global, 94% of respondents said employees will spend more time working remotely even after the pandemic is over. And 69% said firms will use less real estate in the future as a result of remote work, up from 51% in March... “The supply and demand for office space may change significantly,” Warren Buffett said earlier this month at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s annual meeting. “When change happens in the world, you adjust to it.”

Read here (Wall Street Journal, May 16, 2020)

CDC publishes flowcharts to help communities and businesses weighing whether to reopen

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published six "decision trees" Thursday aimed at helping businesses, communities, schools, camps, daycares and mass transit decide whether it's safe to re-open. The one-page decision trees are much shorter than a much-anticipated, lengthy and detailed document that has been delayed at least once.

Read here (CNN, May 15, 2020)

• For workplace, download here
• For schools, download here
• For restaurants, download here
• For mass transit, download here
• For camps, download here
• For daycare, download here

Amsterdam trials ‘Covid-safe’ restaurant

As countries in Europe start to emerge from lockdown, they’re experimenting with ways to get people dining out again. An innovative solution in Amsterdam is currently being trialled and tested. It hopes it will provide a way to help people adjust from isolation to a degree of social contact.

View here (BBC, May 15, 2020)

Covid-19: The second wave (12-minute video)

‘Lockdowns may be easing in many places around the world, but experts are warning that vigilance will be key to avoid a second - and possibly worse - wave of COVID-19.’

View here (DW, May 13, 2020)

Learning how to dance - Part 5: Prevent seeding and spreading

This is Part 5 of ‘Learning how to dance’, a series which goes in depth to understand what countries need to do to Dance, to reopen their economies without new outbreaks.

‘The bad news first: (1) We will likely need to heavily slow down national and international tourism for months, (2) Big events like business fairs or music concerts will need to remain closed for now

‘The good news: (1) We should still be able to travel for one-way or very long trips (2) There are ways we can accelerate the reopening of tourism (3) We can probably reopen schools (4) A clear order is emerging for which businesses should reopen. The most important to keep open are likely banks, grocery, and general stores, and the least important are likely cafés, dessert parlors, and gyms’.

Read here (Medium, May 13, 2020)

Ominous warning for world governments as South Korea hit by ‘super spreader’ after lockdowns lifted

‘At the weekend, the country’s health system reported the sudden appearance of more than 40 new coronavirus cases. It was the first time in a month the figure had spiked so high. Contact tracers immediately went to work. What had caused this disturbing turnaround? Turns out, it was mostly due to just one 29-year-old man...’

Read here (News.com, May 12, 2020)