Coronavirus And Business Ethics

Yesterday we suspended our weekly referral club meetings, our special events, our masterminds, our training seminars, and every group gathering that we put on live. There are 400 a year in Calgary alone, so there are quite a few that we suspended this week. We moved all operations to Online Networking and offered our Members and other entrepreneurs the help that they needed to network remotely.

Why?

It seems there are so few cases in our community. It does seem that way doesn’t it. Have a look at this research though. The issue here is that with every case we see, there are potentially hundreds of cases that are not making the news. Many of the carriers of this sickness, don’t feel that sick, so they do not realize they are spreading the virus.

The Alberta Government put a stop to meetings over 250 people. We have many smaller meetings. However, if people are carrying this around, how many people are we infecting in a day? I go to a lot of meetings. There are days when I personally see over 250 people. What if I was carrying this disease? Would you want me at your table?

Reality

Between 1% to 5% die from Covid 19. It seems small when you write it out real fast. However, that means that for every death you have in a community, at least 100 people have the virus. Early numbers that were seen in Washington state started recording deaths before they knew they had infection. That means lots of people were walking around with the virus and they did not know it. The real numbers of those carrying the virus is much higher than those being tested because they have symptoms.

Covid 19 And Our Moral Responsibility

Most people think “I am young. I am healthy. I have a trip planned. I am not at any great risk.” They are correct. Covid 19 kills mostly older people, and others with preexisting conditions, but isn’t that a selfish perspective? What about those you encounter when you get back. Are they young? Are they healthy? Are they at great risk?

In the news yesterday was a very sad story of a Calgary infant fighting for her life. Mom and dad who were young, and healthy and not at great risk, took a trip to a “safe” destination. There had been no reports of Coronavirus in Las Vegas, so why worry? I bet they would give anything, to change their decisions now. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. They had no idea that their exposure could lead to the exposure of their child.

The way to stop the growth and flow of this things is to stop interactions with other human beings. It stops it. That is why the Ontario government made such a fast move to shut down the public school system. It is why in Alberta our Universities suspended classes. This is why the NHL and the NBA suspended their seasons. They did not want to. They will lose millions in revenue, but the fact is, it can’t spread if we don’t give it bodies to spread to.

It is not an easy proposition for many of us. My world is a world surrounded with business owners. This will hurt many of us who rely on daily interaction of humans to make the money we need to pay our staff, to keep our lights on, to feed our families. Two weeks off could put some of our business owners out of business. More than that could damage some of their credit ratings beyond repair. Calgary businesses do not have money in reserves like we used to. It has been a hard economy for the last few years which has depleted resources. I did not want to cancel our live meetings. It is where we make our money, but I have a moral responsibility to our Members and to our city. If we keep meeting, we could have one person come in and infect 25 in one event. Those 25 leave and infect hundreds before anyone has the first cough.

Our Membership base is diverse. There are many cultures, men and women, with a strong spread of age. Yet more than 50% of our Members would be over 40. Most of them look healthy to me, but what if they are not? More importantly, how many of them are caring for elderly parents? I happen to know that number is significant without even poling them. I listen when they speak.

It would be irresponsible to keep our meetings going live right now. Imagine if I was personally carrying the virus. I attend dozens of events in a month. Some of the meetings have a dozen people. Some have a few hundred. I have given out 1000 business cards in one month. What if I was feeling fine? Imagine how many people I shake hands within a week? Imagine how many people rush up to me and hug me without giving it a thought. Then they go home and they hug their kids, their grandchildren and their aging parents.

As a leader in our network and a leader in my city, this was the right thing to do. I will not be taking any trips, because I want to be a good example right now. I will not be attending any meetings larger than 3 people who stay at a distance, in a well ventilated area. I will not be shaking anyone’s hand. I will wave. I will wash with soap and hot water many times a day and endure dry skin. I will do 95% of all business interactions through Zoom or the phone. We will continue to have all of our networking meetings including mixers, using an online format, as long as this situation is playing out. Why? It is the responsible thing to do. We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

What part will you play in this?