ICI Viewpoints

Earlier this week, ICI’s Industry Operations Department surveyed members of the Institute’s Technology Committee to better understand the measures being taken by ICI members to protect their employees and maintain business continuity in the face of the new coronavirus outbreak. The committee is made up of 102 firms, and includes both large and small US-based fund firms, some with international operations.

What follows is a sample of the results:

• 50 percent of the respondents have at least one office in Asia
• Almost 50 percent have issued a travel advisory (“increased caution” level) to Asia
• Almost 25 percent have issued a travel ban to Asia
• Most travel advisories and bans are directed at mainland China
• More than one-third of respondents have instituted “home quarantine” for employees who have traveled to mainland China
• More than half of the respondents are distributing extra hand sanitizers, surgical masks, or N95 masks to employees
• Respondents are monitoring a variety of websites that track updates to the coronavirus outbreak, including the Centers for Disease Control, Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and the World Health Organization

ICI plans to conduct further surveys as the outbreak continues.