Business continuity or contingency planning can establish recovery resilience and prepare for future disruptions. Analyze impact, prioritize actions and continue to stay informed on the disease's evolution and government recovery plans. Also, consider setting up a COVID-19 recovery team.

Protect staff; ensure continuity; and communicate regularly. Whether expanding, contracting, solidifying remote work, or going back to the workplace, it's key to redefine workforce strategies. With safety, flexibility and resiliency in-mind, successful workforce strategies will require an approach for short-term recovery and a long-term vision of the 'new normal'.

Increasing digital capability will be a vital piece of a business's recovery. Remote working models, 5G, virtual services or outreach, AI, automated software, security, WAN, and cloud useage are each potential scale-up areas. CIOs should right-size or strengthen tech infrastructure given new workforce realities, safety protocols, customer behavior and industry trends.

Scope of operations (global, domestic or local) must be assessed and ‘de-risked’. As possible, automate and move to remote service-offerings and workforce. This requires a level of planning, training and testing. Communicate to customers and employees and update website with new safety measures or other key information.

Identify short-term suppliers or map alternatives in less affected areas. Adapt services, products, pricing or allocations to customers. Consider fragility of your supply chain network. Outsourcing companies are facing same challenges. Have a plan in place to mitigate supply shock, react quickly to pent-up demand and reestablish or redefine your supply chain network.

Slowdowns and shutdowns are affecting cash flow and liquidity. Consider developing a liquidity model (cash forecasting) or a liquidity management plan. At minimum, prioritize and optimize costs. Research and leverage available public or private relief loans or grants.

Communicate carefully to customers and suppliers.  Consider not just preservation of brand, but enhancement. Can your business contribute to COVID-19 relief or recovery efforts?  If so, make sure it is properly highlighted to internal and external stakeholders. Take time to update website.

COVID-19 actions taken today will affect your business over the long-term. Its impact should be analyzed.  Consider revisiting the corporate strategy and strengthening accordingly. If nothing else, an emergency protocol or standard operating procedures (SOP) for this or future emergencies could be added.