News Update – Monday, July 6, 2020

APCO Worldwide's Coronavirus Beat is a twice weekly publication on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, economies, policy and culture, and how leaders are responding. The next newsletter will appear Thursday, July 9.

Have a comment about this newsletter? We welcome your feedback.

Business & Economic Impact

1. Almost 3,600 businesses have filed for bankruptcy in the United States in the first half of 2020, a 26% increase from last year, T he Wall Street Journal

2. Mitsubishi imposed a new M&A strategy requiring that every new asset be matched with the sale of another, amid fears that the pandemic will cause liquidity drought, Financial Times
3. The pandemic’s impact on employment in China may last for two years, weakening essential market sectors such as manufacturing and small to mid-sized companies, Caixin

Global Policy

1. Over 200 scientists urged the WHO to revise its recommendations to account for airborne transmission as a significant factor in how the coronavirus spreads, The Washington Post

2. The UAE announced a broad government restructuring, merging half of federal agencies, to allow for more agile decision-making to respond to the pandemic, The New York Times
3. The United Kingdom promised a staggering GBP 1.57 billion to support museums, art galleries, theaters and music venues during the pandemic, The Guardian

Control Measures

1. Australia closed the state border between Victoria and New South Wales after a surge of COVID-19 cases in the former, marking the first closing of the border in a century, ABC

2. England reopened pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas on July 4 after a three-month lockdown, while the government urged people to continue to social distance, BBC
3. Saudi Arabia announced health protocols for the 2020 haj season, banning gatherings and meetings between pilgrims, Reuters

Worth Noting

1. Latin America, now the current epicenter of the pandemics, sees half of all new daily COVID-19 infections as the region's health systems flounder, CNN

2. The Louvre museum, which reopened in Paris after its closure four months ago due to the pandemic, will now require masks and control the number of visitors, BBC
3. China continues to dominate the global medical supplies market through subsidies and protectionism, laying the groundwork to dominate the market for years, The New York Times

Stay Ahead: Insights from APCO

Webinar Recap: The Impact of COVID-19 on Conducting Public Affairs in Japan

Masayo Nagai, managing director of APCO Worldwide’s Tokyo office, highlights the key takeaways of a recent APCO Worldwide webinar on conducting public affairs in the COVID-19 era:

"More than a month has passed since the Japanese government started lifting the state of emergency. However, while teleworking and flextime were first introduced as emergency measures, these practices have now become firmly entrenched across many businesses. As the threat of the second wave of infections looms, Japanese and global organizations are shifting towards embracing the “new normal” of coexistence with the virus, including fundamental changes to how we work and do business.

Public affairs is no exception. The outbreak has forced us to reconsider how we operate in a world without physical contact. The increased use of digital tools is changing the way we communicate to stakeholders and society as a whole."

Advocacy and the EU Green Agenda in 2020

Danuta Slusarska, head of APCO Worldwide’s Energy & Sustainability Practice in Brussels and co-lead of the European Energy & Sustainability Practice, and Sumin Nam, senior consultant at APCO Worldwide’s Frankfurt office, discuss advocacy efforts for the European Green Deal during and after the pandemic:

European Union flags in front of building

"The coronavirus pandemic has put most of Europe on lockdown over the past few months—EU advocacy, however, is going strong. Having quickly learned the rules of the new “virtual” normal, the wide range of EU interest groups have not missed the chance to use these unprecedented circumstances to defend their interests, some even more actively and vocally than ever.

The kick-off of the German Presidency of the EU Council on 1 July is likely to open the window for engagement around the EU energy and sustainability policies even wider."

Coronavirus Beat: Looking Ahead

As the situation evolves, APCO would like to continue to ensure we’re delivering the most value to our readers. If you would like to provide us with feedback to help continue improving the content, please fill out this two-minute survey here.

Some Positive News

Lending a hand: British film director Sam Mendes established an emergency fund for theater practitioners who are struggling financially, The Guardian
Robot fighting pandemic: MIT and Ava Robotics designed an autonomous robot that can disinfect a large warehouse in half an hour, CNN
Donating blood: Despite cold weather, many Argentinians who recovered from COVID-19 returned to hospitals to donate plasma for sick patients, Reuters

More Tips from Around the Water Cooler

Research: 3 biases that shaped CEOs’ pandemic response, H arvard Business Review
For centuries, monks have embraced social isolation for increased mental strength and self-awareness — here's what we can learn from them, B usiness Insider
How to make better Zoom calls—or any other type of video call, Forbes
Prepare for departure: What you should know about summer travel in 2020, Fortune

Quotables

“To emerge from this crisis we have to move ahead with the recovery while the pandemic is still with us. We need to be agile in our policy making, and we need to make sure everyone benefits from the recovery.”

- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF

“Witnessing how easily worldwide supply chains can be disrupted, there will be more on-demand production of materials such as PPEs, implants and even ventilators using 3D printing. [Manufacturers'] way of doing business will change. This will allow for the acceleration of precision medicine and even more partnerships with other previously unthinkable industries.”

- Eric Eskioglu, Chief Medical Officer at Novant Health

The APCO team is working with clients globally to manage this crisis, and we stand ready to support your needs. For more resources from APCO, including our latest research, information on how we can help or to contact us, visit apcoworldwide.com/coronavirus.

About Coronavirus Beat

Coronavirus Beat is a bulletin of updates and clippings from the most relevant media and government sources created to help APCO’s clients keep abreast of the impacts of COVID-19 from around the world. APCO is supporting clients in managing the issues they confront related to the outbreak. Contact our crisis team at Crisis360@apcoworldwide.com or +1.866.360.APCO (toll-free) or +1.866.483.2726 (outside the United States).

APCO Worldwide is an advisory and advocacy communications consultancy helping leading public and private sector organizations act with agility, and build organizational reputations, brands, relationships and solutions to succeed. APCO has offices in more than 30 major cities throughout the world. To find out how APCO’s integrated services can help your company, visit apcoworldwide.com.