COVID-19 Risk Management

In January 2020, the Chinese government acknowledged that a new virus, first reported in the city of Wuhan, was spreading from human to human. Since that time, coronavirus – officially called COVID-19 (formerly 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease or 2019-nCoV) – has spread to numerous countries, and tens of thousands of people, mostly in China, have contracted it. This event has disrupted business and travel and challenged governments and public health experts seeking to contain a potential pandemic.

The impacts of a global disease outbreak can be particularly severe for organizations lacking adequate communicable-illness policies and response plans. The COVID-19 crisis highlights how organizations must update and expand their crisis management and business continuity plans with an emphasis on employees, customers, supply chain contacts, stakeholders and business assets.

What does this mean for organizations in Canada?

If your company has not undertaken a pandemic risk assessment, this should be made a priority. The source of exposure as a result of the coronavirus can be far-reaching – from employee health, to supply chain disruption, to rapidly changing government advice or regulation. Companies must understand the main scenarios that could impact them most and invest in appropriate control and response measures that reflect the exposure.

Our team of advisors are here to help provide guidance and expertise on how to best mitigate the risk of COVID-19 on your business. For more information, please contact your Aon representative or:

Dan Carter
[email protected]

Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Response Site

Aon’s Infectious Disease Response Task Force has established a resource site to support organizations in effective infectious disease event response, and in planning for impacts that may confront businesses, their employees, and the communities in which businesses operate and employees reside.

This resource site is designed to present practical solutions that are actionable, timely and relevant to your organization including content that outlines the impacts that might be expected as a pandemic threat evolves.  

Visit the Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Response Site to discover and understand ways to limit the impact of an infectious disease event on your business operations and employees.