COVID-19 cautious.

Byline: Daniel J. Munoz

To say it is business as usual for many shopkeepers and executives might not be what first comes to mind in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, which as of March 12 claimed one life in New Jersey and infected 23 other people.

Conferences and other major events left and right have been cancelled or postponed, and universities are evacuating their campus housing and ordering all classes to be conducted remotely.

But preparedness has been the mindset that many industry heads and public health officials are striving to maintain.

"Everyone is responsibly monitoring the situation. People are in a planning mode, and people should be operating [with] an abundance of caution," Michele Siekerka, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, told NJBIZ.

To date, many employers are left to operate based on the guidance that the Department of Health rolled out on March 2, and more broadly the recommendations laid out by the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Employees should be encouraged to work from home, businesses should take part in routine cleaning and sanitizing of the office space, and workers should continue to practice basic hygiene, according to the DOH.

The CDC recommends flexible sick leave policies and to that end, New Jersey's health department pointed to the state's sick leave policy, ensuring workers are granted up to 40 hours of sick time a year.

Employers should not require a doctor's note for a suspected case of coronavirus, the CDC guidelines read.

"Obviously caution has to be part of this and prudence has to be part of this, but also proper evaluation has to be part of this," Tom Bracken, who heads the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, told NJBIZ.

"Look at the grocery stores, the shelves are empty of certain things," he added. "This has the potential to have some very serious, long-term negative impacts on our state, and that's why I think diligence and prudence and making sure that things are done with appropriate responses" is the best route.

But many events have been cancelled - conferences up and down the state, for example, and large-scale conventions and events at Atlantic City could be at stake. MGM Resorts, which owns the Borgata Hotel and Casino Atlantic City, is putting a pause on buffet options at its Las Vegas casinos, according to local Nevada media reports.

While on March 10, the coronavirus had not yet reached the level of a "community...

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