4 Ways Businesses Can Participate in the Fight Against Coronavirus

With the world currently dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have been forced to close down in order to support social distancing measures and keep citizens safe. As offices around the world make the switch to remote working and other businesses put employees on furlough until it’s safe to reopen, many business owners are wondering if there’s anything further that they can do in order to support their communities and contribute to the fight against COVID-19. Of course, not every company has a clear service to share, but there are likely to be creative ways that companies can help those in need.

PPE and Medical Equipment Manufacturing

The world needs more personal protective equipment and medical equipment than ever before, and companies are stepping in to help. Brands like American PAPR are working to provide hospitals and healthcare environments that are in need of personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare professionals fighting the virus, while companies like Dyson and Tesla have pledged to build new ventilators. If your business is in the manufacturing industry, consider if there are any ways that you can put your materials and equipment to use to provide vital PPE to healthcare workers and patients; even sewing fabric masks can be helpful.

Free or Discounted Services

Many businesses around the world have offered free or discounted services to their customers during this time. Zoom, for example, has provided free video calling services to schools that need it the most right now with most students getting their education from home. And Udemy, a site where you can sign up for a huge range of online classes, has offered a wide range of large discounts to customers who might want to use this time spent at home to learn something new. If your business offers a service that might be of use to people during the pandemic, offering it at a discounted price might not be the most profitable move in the short-term, but over the long-term, it can build a stronger reputation for your brand as you are remembered as a supportive company during these times.

Informative Content

If your business isn’t in a position to provide products and services to those who need it, you can still help by providing your customers with informative content that will help them in the fight against COVID-19. Many people are still unsure what to do and many have very specific questions that your company might be able to help them with. You can even tailor the content so that it fits in with your brand; for example, a smartphone company might produce content on how to keep a smartphone clean and virus-free since it’s one of the main ways that the virus is being passed from person to person. Along with being able to provide support and information to your customers, this allows you to put together a content strategy that will help your business survive the pandemic and thrive afterward.

Community Outreach

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people in a multitude of different ways, from people suffering financially due to a loss of income when their employer closed down to healthcare professionals who’ve been unable to see their families during this time. As a business owner, there are many things that you can do to reach out to your community and offer support. Starting a food bank, dropping off care packages to individuals in the most need, and organizing voluntary effort to help the most vulnerable in society are just some of the things that businesses have been doing to show their support and help others.

Even if your business doesn’t provide a product or service that’s needed the most right now, there are still plenty of things that you can do to get involved in the fight against COVID-19.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes