Do business events need to be canceled?

The various laws, regulations, guidelines, and recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are changing and updating each day. Business owners and managers need to be proactive in monitoring the situation so that they can make the best decisions for their business, employees, and the community as a whole. As of now, there aren’t any federal requirements saying that businesses throughout the entire country must cancel events. Most states, however, have implemented restrictions to one degree or another.

Recommended Cancellations

OSHA and other expert organizations have recommended everyone practice social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19. For businesses that are able to remain open during this time, this will likely mean cancelling any type of non-critical events. This would include workplace parties, company sponsored events (5K runs, trade shows, charity drives, etc) and more. Events that are considered critical to the country, however, can continue. These events could include things like blood donation drives and more.

Handling Necessary Events

For events that are deemed necessary it will still be critical to make changes to the way things are done. Having floor labels to outline distances of six feet, for example, is a good way to remind everyone to practice appropriate social distancing. Reducing the number of people who are invited to an event may also be a good idea. For some critical events it may be smart to turn a one-day event into a multi-day event so that attendance can be staggered.