The human security issues behind the coronavirus outbreak

The world, as we know it, has changed in the last few weeks. Perhaps irreparably perhaps not. Whatever the case, the global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how fragile human beings and our societal structures really are. As such, there has been something of a paradigm shift – institutional security is no longer the primary focus when it comes to security, the focus now is on individual human security.

The coronavirus has also shone a light on just how difficult it is for states to isolate themselves from the rest of the world, at least physically. The same is also true of businesses that now find themselves struggling to function as more and more of us are forced to work from home to help stall the spread of the disease.

When the world finally recovers from this unprecedented event (and it will, as we are nothing if not a resilient species), it stands to reason that we’ll be left with a very different world, where we take less for granted and health security is cherished just as much as physical security. With that in mind, we’re decided to focus on a few ways we foresee businesses responding. Because even when we’ve managed to beat this thing, it could always come back if we don’t work together.

 

Cleanliness is next to godliness

If there’s one thing we’ve heard during this outbreak more than anything else it’s this – “wash your hands.” When the pandemic subsides, there’s no telling exactly what the world is going to look like but one thing is almost certain – coronavirus cases might subside but it won’t be killed off entirely.

As such, expect businesses across the world to seriously ramp up their cleanliness initiatives. We’re talking hand sanitiser gel as standard in all offices and regular deep cleans of all furniture. Measures that would have seemed overzealous in the past are going to become the new normal. Employee health and safety is a vital commodity that will no longer be taken for granted.

 

Stand together or fall apart

Coordination and cooperation is something that has been severely lacking throughout this crisis. We have all realised that it’s utterly pointless to only take preventive measures for our own countries and ignore everyone else.

In order to get through this, we’ve had to learn to work together and this is something we can see emerging as a silver lining from this awful event. Businesses are going to need to learn to work together to rebuild infrastructure and nowhere is this more important than when it comes to security.

 

Investing now

There have already been reports that the virus has had a major impact on cybersecurity, with hackers taking advantage of the mass panic surrounding the outbreak. It’s only a matter of time before physical security concerns become more relevant, as businesses close indefinitely and offices are left unattended.

So, whilst your business might be in hibernation, investing in a complete security solution now that you can monitor and manage from home might be a crucial step towards ensuring you have a company to go back to on the other side of this thing.

 

Putting people first

Ultimately, whilst the UK government resisted as long as it possibly could in order to preserve some semblance of economic normality, eventually they had to react and put the people first. This has resulted in governments instigating unprecedented economic relief policies that will hopefully keep your business alive over the next few months.

Your employees are going to be the ones helping you rebuild when this is all over, so don’t lose touch – Be a lifeline for them and let them know you’re there. Because we need each other now perhaps more than any other time in recent history.