One by one, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the companies where I coach have decided to close their offices and ask all of their employees to work remotely.

As an executive coach who coaches CEOs of startups as well as Fortune 500 companies, I’ve often helped my clients think through a crisis and regularly work with them in maintaining alignment in a remote environment. Now as the world faces this pandemic, both of these topics are critical for everyone.

Right now it’s important for you as a leader to proactively keep everyone connected and on the same page and ensure that the business is moving forward as best it can in this new situation. The best way to do that is to carve out a daily meeting as a “virtual situation room.” Here’s how to do that.

Choose who should be in your situation room. If you have an established leadership team, those are probably the right people. Some of the CEOs I coach have sprawling leadership teams that extend into the double digits. If that’s the case, you probably have a subset you turn to for their judgment because they have the largest scope of responsibility. Keep this group to less than 10 if you possibly can.

Convene a mandatory call at the same time every day.Your goal is to keep everyone feeling connected and up to speed. You can do this by having a daily check-in. You should ask everyone to prioritize this time and work other things around it. Having it at the same time and daily keeps it simple and makes it a ritual. During times of stress and anxiety, rituals serve a touchstone to calm anxiety and create community – both sorely needed right now.

Get personal. When you are trying to do team building remotely, some amount of personal disclosure is important. First of all, use video so everyone can see each other. Start the meeting with a simple check in. Everyone should take 2 minutes to say how they’re doing or to share a personal story. It’s grounding and it’s important to maintain team spirit.

Situational updates. The next agenda item is to share any information you have about your team, your company, or the events unfolding in the outside world. The events related to the pandemic are unfolding rapidly. Pooling data you have gleaned will help everyone stay up to date.

Updates on your plan. Every leader should have a plan that they are working on with their employees. There may be plans which reflect business as usual. There are certainly plans around business continuity and pivots related to the crisis. All of these should be clear and documented in a centralized virtual drive.

Given the dynamic nature of this crisis, looking at the plans every day is a good practice even though they may not change much day to day. Everyone can weigh in with a simple system: green – on plan; yellow – off plan but with a way to get back on plan; red – off track with no way to get back on track.

This is not the time for trouble-shooting. Each leader should just give a brief explanation of problems and ask for help from the people who can give it. They should then connect after the meeting.

Further discussion. Is there anything else critical that you haven’t covered? Talk about it here.

Close. Once again, use ritual to create community. Leaders also have to convey hope. End this meeting the same way each time with an inspirational quote or a specific phrase that resonates with your whole team, like “we got this” or “keep going and keep learning.” This might take a little courage, but try it.

Post-meeting. Ask your war room team to leave 30 minutes after the meeting free. You may have uncovered a specific problem to solve or talk through. If the entire team leaves the next 30 minutes free, they can all use that time to connect with each other immediately and efficiently. Having that block of time set aside is also important in case the meeting goes over.

Cascade information to others immediately. After that hour, it’s critical for your leaders to pull their Key team members together and communicate with them. Their meetings can have a similar format and the daily cadence should be the same. That prevents anyone feeling like they don’t know what’s going on. When people are all working remotely, especially during a crisis, it’s essential that people feel like they are in the know and that they are not surprised. There’s enough uncertainty around; as a leader your job is to create clarity where you can.

Debrief and adapt. How is this meeting working? Things are in flux right now, and your business and personal situation may change. Adapt this meeting to be the most useful for you.

Use these steps to create your situation room as you adapt your business and your leadership style to the new normal.

Credit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisacohn/2020/03/13/how-to-keep-your-company-aligned-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-while-your-whole-team-is-working-remotely/#5fc408fb1d54

From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Cold weather and snow CANNOT kill the new coronavirus.

There is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases. The normal human body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the external temperature or weather. The most effective way to protect yourself against the new coronavirus is by frequently cleaning your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or washing them with soap and water.

Taking a hot bath does not prevent the new coronavirus disease

Taking a hot bath will not prevent you from catching COVID-19. Your normal body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the temperature of your bath or shower. Actually, taking a hot bath with extremely hot water can be harmful, as it can burn you. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

The new coronavirus CANNOT be transmitted through mosquito bites.

To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash them with soap and water. Also, avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.

Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus?

No. Hand dryers are not effective in killing the 2019-nCoV. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.

Can an ultraviolet disinfection lamp kill the new coronavirus?

UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.

How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the new coronavirus?

Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus.

However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 10 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever.

Can spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the new coronavirus?

No. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine can be useful to disinfect surfaces, but they need to be used under appropriate recommendations.

Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus?

No. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus.

This virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against 2019-nCoV, and WHO is supporting their efforts.

Although these vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.

Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus.

There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections.

Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus.

Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?

People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus?

No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria.

The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment.

However, if you are hospitalized for the 2019-nCoV, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.

Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?

To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. WHO is helping to accelerate research and development efforts with a range or partners.

It is the responsibility of the employer to maintain a safe working environment for you. If you are currently working on a production or when you do return to the set, personal care can also help in keeping everyone safe during this time of abundant caution

In December 2019, the Chinese authorities notified the world that a virus was spreading through their communities. In the following months it spread to other countries, with cases doubling within days. This virus is the “Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2”, that causes the disease called COVID-19, and that everyone simply calls Coronavirus. What actually happens when it infects a human and what should we all do?