Coronavirus: Toll and consequences

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Mar 2020

As of February 26, 2020, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 113 631 093 people while the number of the infected exceeds 2 521 038. The disease that began in Wuhan is expanding to other countries where several cases have already been reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on all countries to take the necessary steps to block a possible epidemic.

Coronavirus: High risk of supply chain disruption

To prevent the spread of coronavirus to other countries, China has introduced strict health control measures. The latter result in a disruption of the domestic production chain, which in turn affects the global supply chain [4].

Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, was quarantined on 23 January 2020. Since then, the city of 11 million people looks like a ghost city where production fell by almost 100% in a few hours. A similar scenario can be adopted by other Chinese cities.

The drop in production is a reality being felt. The global motor industry is being hit hard. The immediate consequence of this slowdown is a decline of the motor stock market value.

The high-tech industry is also exposed to the risk of supply chain disruption. A multitude of major global firms depends on the components produced and delivered by China. For example, the American giant Apple outsources and assembles several of its products in the country. Two of its subcontractors, Foxconn and Pegatron, are located 500 km from Wuhan.