How will the business sector handle the COVID-19 pandemic?

The self-quarantining and social distancing measures recommended by the World Health Organization and governments from different countries in order to contain the propagation of COVID-19 are testing society.

One of the most important challenges is found in the business sector. Not all jobs can be done from home or can be halted for some time during the emergency . There are processes that require human presence, especially in factories .

These are moments where the private sector must act with responsibility . Those companies that will have to continue operating are forced to adopt actions that decrease contagion risks . Measures such as tiered schedules and the decrease of staff, especially of those who are part of vulnerable groups , turn into options during the pandemic . Those companies that showed reticence to implement home office are now taking that direction.

For the media , both print and electronic, as well as other types of mass media, technology is an essential tool to continue with everyday work and to reduce contagion risk. EL UNIVERSAL is one of these media outlets.

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The newsrooms , places where dozens of people concentrate seven days a week in order to distribute news for the public, are now almost empty. The Group of Newspapers in the Americas ( GDA ), where this newspaper is a member, is taking measures to protect workers.

For those who are still working at EL UNIVERSAL’s newsroom , they are no longer required to register their arrival through the use of their fingerprints. The newspaper also provided hand sanitizer. Meetings have been reduced. It has taken the necessary measures so that the majority of employees work from home .

In the face of the sanitary crisis sparked by the new coronavirus , EL UNIVERSAL acknowledged the importance of prevention but can’t stop reporting news , as it has for 104 years: sharing timely and reliable information , although the way in which information is processed has changed.

These are times when society must unite. Moreover, this is an opportunity to develop new ways to work but without forgetting something essential: the companies' commitment to its workers .

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