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why not there are more than 20 universities that can teach cyber security1. Pennsylvania State UniversityCollege of Information Sciences and TechnologyPlaced among the “Public Ivies,” Pennsylvania State University holds land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant status for generating $836 million in research expenditures and teaching 99,133 Nittany Lions at 24 locations statewide and online. Led by President Eric J. Barron, the Big Ten powerhouse has had its World Campus since 1998 to deliver MSCHE-accredited programs with an 87 percent graduation rate. The U.S. News ranked PSU World for America’s fifth best online computer IT degrees and eighth top online bachelor’s degrees. Given the Sloan Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education Award, Penn State also has the #1 best recruiting outcomes according to The Wall Street Journal.Through Blackboard Collaborate and Skype, online undergrads can pursue the PSU World Campus’ B.S. in Security and Risk Analysis – Information and Cyber Security Option. Currently billing $584 per credit, the 120-credit bachelor’s follows former NSA Director Mike McConnell’s advice on preparing IT specialists who are equipped to identify and prevent catastrophic attacks via the Internet. The online major involves courses like network security, C++ programming, cyber forensics, data organization, and terrorism. Online students could still join the World Campus Technology Club, access the Red Cell Analytics Lab, intern with DHS, and study abroad with 300+ global programs.Post-bachelor’s students at Pennsylvania State University with 5+ years of experience may complete the Master of Professional Studies in Information Sciences instead. Consisting of 33 credits for $854 per credit, the online MPS has a built-in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Option for strengthening IT skills specifically for stopping internal or external hacker threats. Collaborative learning courses take two years part-time with courses like multisensor data fusion, enterprise architecture, risk management, visual analytics, and Web privacy. Open for application until June 1st and October 1st yearly, the PSU master’s program expects a minimum “B” average from orientation through the applied capstone project.Website2. Johns Hopkins UniversityWhiting School of EngineeringEstablished in 1876 on a $7 million bequest from a 19th-century Maryland entrepreneur, Johns Hopkins University has become a private, nonsectarian RU/VH hub led by President Ronald J. Daniels to serve 5,326 undergrad and 14,848 post-grad Blue Jays in the Big Ten. Affiliated with 36 Nobel laureates, JHU has campuses from Baltimore and Columbia to Bologna and Nanjing. Along with 45+ free online classes on Coursera, Johns Hopkins grants America’s sixth best computer IT and 21st top online engineering programs according to the U.S. News. Ranked Kiplinger’s 19th best private value, JHU was also placed 16th globally by ARWU.The Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals Program lets post-grads pursue the Master of Science in Cybersecurity fully online to defend computer systems from penetration attacks for data security. Requiring Java and C++ mastery, the 10-course degree offers three specialized tracks for Networks, Analysis, and Systems before an independent study project. For $4,055 per course, the online curriculum delves into intrusion detection, cryptology, protocol design, software security, and information assurance. Noted for several 2017 Faculty Award-winning instructors, the online degree lends one-on-one support via the Cybersecurity Advising Corner. Students could obtain the Cybercorps Scholarship for Service or Information Security Institute Fellowship for Veterans.Another online cyber security degree program with an 8:1 student-faculty ratio at Johns Hopkins is the ABET-accredited B.S. in Computer Science, which charges $1,100 per course. The 126-credit program’s Information Security Track immerses online students in introductory courses like algorithms, calculus, data structures, Java programming, cryptology, and ethical hacking. Around 60 undergrads complete the eight-semester plan annually to successfully apply computing knowledge for addressing security and legal concerns. Some head to the Homewood Campus during the summer for the 10-week Summer Research Expedition (SRE). Online alums from Johns Hopkins University are vigorously recruited by tech giants, including Oracle, Google, and Microsoft.Website3. University of ArizonaEller College of Management/College of EngineeringBelonging to the elite AAU, the University of Arizona is a public, co-educational RU/VH Pac-12 institution directed by President Robert C. Robbins with a $660.7 million endowment to serve 43,625 Wildcats and run initiatives like CyVerse. From its 380-acre, red-brick campus in sunny Tucson, Arizona uses the D2L learning management system for cinema-quality lectures in 80+ online programs. The U.S. News ranked UA as America’s 124th best university with the 11th best computer IT and 81st top bachelor’s degrees online. Ranked 24th nationally by the Council for Aid to Education, the University of Arizona was granted the USDLA 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning.Taught by PhD-level professors from Worcester Polytechnic, Ohio State, Carnegie Mellon, USC, and others, the Master of Science in Cybersecurity is accessible inclusively online for UA post-grads. Admitting six times annually for $1,332 per credit, the flexible program suits tech professionals with at least three years of work experience. The 33-credit degree offers two tracks for Information Systems or Physical Systems for hands-on practice shielding networked devices from cyber compromise. Core courses include data mining, penetration testing, machine learning, systems engineering, and business intelligence. Eight-week mini semesters lead to a cyber warfare capstone and optional CISSP credentialing.Featuring a lower student-faculty ratio at 15:1, University of Arizona South also confers the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Cyber Operations for $490 per unit. This online degree completion program suits associate graduates with a minimum 2.5 GPA who transfer for greater depth of knowledge on rendering IT solutions for security. The 60-credit degree’s connects students virtually by the Network Operations Center to practice hacking more than 15,000 user personas. Online courses like network analysis, cyber ethics, malware threats, and secure software development begin every two months. Students from U.S. territories like Guam and Puerto Rico aren’t authorized though.Website4. Drexel UniversityCollege of Computing and InformaticsRenowned for graduating 100,000 alumni like Paul Baran, Norman Joseph Woodland, and Violet Oakley, Drexel University is a private, nonprofit RU/VH institution accredited by the MSCHE to educate 26,359 Dragons with a $650.3 million endowment and paid co-ops. Split into 15 schools, Drexel goes beyond its 96-acre campus in Philadelphia, Forbes’ 102nd best place for education, with online programs on Blackboard. The U.S. News applauded Drexel for America’s 11th best computer IT and 110th top bachelor’s degrees online. Named the 78th “Most Diverse College” on Niche, Drexel University also ranked 180th nationally for value-added education by The Economist.Selectively admitting 75 percent of applicants for $489 per credit, Drexel Online awards the B.S. in Computing and Security Technology with 10-week quarters to build the fundamental tools for implementing networks that meet high security clearances. Accepting applications until August 25th, the 188-credit curriculum lets working adults transfer up to 113 quarter credits for accelerated learning. The self-paced, 100 percent online program is available in 49 states, excluding Minnesota. Within the Computing Security Concentration, students integrate online courses like wireless networking, risk assessment, disaster recovery, mobile applications, and computer architecture. Graduates will qualify for cybersecurity credentials, such as CCNA Cyber Ops and Oracle 9i DBA.Drawing on 125 years of experience, Drexel University also grants the M.S. in Cybersecurity either online or on-campus from Bossone Hall. Directed by Dr. Kapil R. Dandekar, the 45-credit degree trains ECE Department enrollees for adapting IT techniques to confront emerging cyber warfare tactics in managerial positions. Presently billing $1,228 per credit, the program begins every September, January, April, and June for students with combined GRE scores above 300. Expect online courses like information policy, computer networking, data algorithms, national security intelligence, and risk analysis with Internet labs. Master’s students could substitute the thesis research for graduate co-ops at Qualcomm, Alcatel-Lucent, and other companies.Website5. Syracuse UniversityCollege of Engineering & Computer ScienceUnder the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, Syracuse University was founded on land donated by Bishop Jesse Truesdell Peck to create today’s private, nonsectarian IAMSCU research center led by Chancellor Kent Syverud to educate 21,267 Orange and employ 1,563 staff. Endowed for $1.157 billion, Syracuse extends beyond its 683-acre campus on Central New York’s University Hill with online learning. According to the U.S. News, SU has America’s 17th best computer IT and 35th top engineering programs online. As a “College with a Conscience,” Syracuse was also ranked the 103rd best U.S. college and 251st best global university by Times Higher Education.Since 2009, the ABET-accredited Engineering@Syracuse program has delivered a Master of Science in Cybersecurity completely online for working IT gurus to increase their capacity for identifying, thwarting, and counteracting security breaches. Spanning 15 months full-time, the 30-credit curriculum requires high-level programming expertise with a minimum GRE Analytical score of 650. Post-B.S. majors pay $1,500 per credit for coursework in Internet security, information assurance, cryptography, distributed access control, cyber law, and operating systems. Classes take a synchronous, live format weekly for webcam chats organized by PhD-level faculty. Online learners are only required to attend one on-campus immersion in July for peer collaboration.Partnered with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the SU iSchool also allows a faster promotion track for online students to finish the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Information Security Management. Available year-round, the 15-credit option suits ISM officials seeking in-depth insights into the complex risks to organizational computers. Live classes explore digital forensics, database security, information policy, electronic commerce technologies, and information systems protocols. Up to six credits could be devoted to internship experience with Lockheed Martin, Mimecast, and others. Covering the $1,500 per credit could be easier with Syracuse’s Information Assurance Scholarship Program funded by the DoD.Website6. Florida Institute of TechnologyCollege of Engineering & ComputingSitting atop a 130-acre campus in Melbourne just 50 miles from the Kennedy Space Center, the Florida Institute of Technology is a private, space-grant SACS-accredited institution emphasizing STEM education across its seven online colleges. Since 1958, Florida Tech’s $66.2 million endowment has grown to serve 6,631 Panthers, 34 percent of whom hail from global countries. The U.S. News ranked FIT as America’s 171st best university with the 21st best online computer tech and 68th top online bachelor’s programs. Ranked 36th among research universities for ROI on PayScale, Florida Tech was crowned the third fastest-growing campus nationwide by The Chronicle of Higher Education.Broadcasted asynchronously online via the video-based eLearning platform, the M.S. in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity is a two-year, part-time Florida Tech degree with eight-week courses to help make organizations immune from security breaches. Partnered with Harris Corp., the 11-course major has six yearly start dates to attract IT professionals who want expert-level knowledge on attack models through cybersecurity case studies. Estimated to cost $25,641 total, the curriculum directs courses in biometric authentication, application security, cryptography, data mining, and secure Web services until the culminating IA project. Applicants can be considered with just a bachelor’s degree and minimum 3.0 GPA instead of GRE scores.Post-grads have another 100 percent online option at the Florida Institute of Technology, the Master of Business Administration with a Cybersecurity Specialization. Priced at $896 per credit, the 12-course, IACBE-accredited degree offers a unique management perspective for information systems professionals who seek to secure enterprise networks. Unlike the M.S., the MBA includes core courses like managerial economics, corporate finance, organizational behavior, and business development first. Florida Tech’s eight-week, no-GMAT courses begin with the SmarterMeasure readiness assessment and end with a strategic management capstone. Joining the alumni network of 60,000 Panthers helps graduates reach a 93 percent job placement rate.Website7. Kennesaw State UniversityCollege of Computing and Software EngineeringEndowed for $36.523 million under President Sam Olens, Kennesaw State University is a public, co-educational doctoral institution created in 1963 in the University System of Georgia to enroll 36,428 Owls full-time within the Big South Conference. Although it’s located on 581 acres in the Atlanta suburbs of Cobb County, KSU has 500+ SACS-accredited online courses delivered through Brightspace by D2L. The U.S. News recognized Kennesaw for America’s 38th best computer tech and 186th top online bachelor’s degrees online. Crowned the 292nd “Hardest College to Get Into” on Niche, Kennesaw State University was also the Southeast’s 192nd best bang for the buck in Washington Monthly.Directed by Dr. Herb Mattford, the Bachelor of Science eMajor in Cybersecurity is the first of Kennesaw State’s online cyber security degrees preparing undergrads from a technically-focused approach. Available with optional Criminal Justice or Crisis Preparedness minors, the 120-credit program builds awareness of cyber criminals’ tactics to develop secure IT solutions. Online undergrads develop skills with cutting-edge technologies like CheckPoint Software and Palo Alto Firewalls. For only $199 per credit, courses cover Unix administration, perimeter defense, server systems security, contingency planning, and more. Ambitious eMajors could also intern with Georgia Technology Authority, participate in the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, and join the CCERP Conference.Online graduate students at Kennesaw State University could pursue the Master of Science in Information Technology with a Certificate in Information Technology Security too. The SREB Electronic Campus lets post-grads “Move Ahead” their IT skills anytime 24/7 for enhanced planning, implementation, and supervision of secure network systems. Logging into Desire2Learn makes courses like software design, Web technologies, computer forensics, electronic commerce, and EHR systems fly off the screen. The 48-credit degree currently costs $383 per credit and accepts applications until July 1st, November 1st, and April 1st yearly. Thesis research with the state-of-the-art Security Analysis Lab is wholly optional.Website8. New Jersey Institute of TechnologyYing Wu College of ComputingEnrolling 11,317 Highlanders in the Atlantic Sun Conference, the New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public, sea-grant polytechnic APLU member budgeting for $451 million annually that was founded in 1881 by prolific inventor Edward Weston. Based on 48 acres in Newark just 13 miles from Midtown Manhattan, NJIT offers 13 master’s degrees completely online under American Council of Graduate Schools guidelines. The U.S. News congratulated NJIT for the 87th best engineering school and 38th top online IT degrees. Placed among MONEY Magazine’s “Top 10 Colleges with Great Career Services,” New Jersey Tech also ranked 16th for a mid-career median salary of $117,000 on PayScale.Backed by the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission, the M.S. in IT Administration and Security at the New Jersey Institute of Technology can be garnered 100 percent online by network administrators who seek to erect electronic infrastructures safe from attack. Along with four electives, students study Internet protocols, network management, database administration, and wireless networks security for $1,199 per credit. Within the virtual CIP Lab, online post-grads practice using Oracle, UNIX, Symantec, and other real-world software. Students could also join the ACM Student Chapter, research in the Center for Information Protection, and take paid, three-credit co-ops found via CDSlink.Another Moodle option costing New Jerseyans $1,199 per credit at NJIT is the Online M.S. in Information Systems with a Specialization in Security and Network Management. Taking a managerial approach, this 30-credit curriculum develops business analysts with the technical skills to secure user interface systems for corporate confidentiality. Online courses begin every September for 15-week sessions that are primarily asynchronous with Information Systems Club opportunities. Admission will require a cumulative GPA above “B” and minimum GRE scores of 143 (verbal) and 151 (quantitative). Some sample courses include forensic auditing, transaction mining, counter hacking, data communications, and higher-layer protocols.Website9. University of Illinois-SpringfieldCollege of Liberal Arts and SciencesChartered by Governor Richard Ogilvie in 1969, the University of Illinois-Springfield is a public, land-grant COPLAC liberal arts institution in the Great Lakes Valley Conference that’s currently endowed for $12.1 million to teach 5,431 Prairie Stars full- or part-time. Occupying 740 acres along Lake Springfield on Thomas Strawbridge’s homestead, UIS offers HLC-accredited online education giving the Sloan Consortium Most Outstanding Achievement Award since 2001. The U.S. News ranked Illinois-Springfield for the 54th best online bachelor’s and 123rd top online graduate education. Graded B+ as America’s eighth “Best Online College” on Niche, UIS boasts the largest computer science department in Illinois.Designated a Cisco Regional Networking Academy, the University of Illinois-Springfield offers the B.S. in Information Systems Security online for future cyber forensics specialists to gain IT problem-solving skills. Through Blackboard, the degree is delivered in a 2+2 format with transfer agreements from Rock Valley College, Joliet Junior College, Kaskaskia College, and more. For 120 total credits, the online program integrates courses from discrete mathematics and Java programming to network administration and information assurance. Costing $352 per credit, the bachelor’s includes 10 hours of engaged citizenship experience and an exit assessment. Undergrads may also join Computer Science Club and/or take internships for networking.Within the AACSB-accredited College of Business, UIS post-grads will find an Online Master of Science in Management Information Systems that offers an Information Security Elective Track. Cybersecurity professionals enrolling in this 36-credit program will sharpen the skills to analyze, design, and oversee organizational data systems safely. Master’s courses charging $402 per credit will explore IT governance, wireless networking, managerial decision support systems, data warehousing, and IT project management. MIS majors elect a research thesis, capstone project, or advanced seminar for their closure. Students could benefit from joining the AIS Chapter, securing the Graduate Public Service Internship, and adding the Business Intelligence Certificate.Website10. Towson UniversityJess & Mildred Fisher College of Science & MathematicsAttracting 22,285 Tigers from 100+ countries, Towson University is a public, four-year research institution founded by the General Assembly of Maryland in 1865 that’s developed a $450 million annual budget for on-site and online teaching under President Kim Schatzel. Based upon 328 acres in Baltimore County just off Interstate 83 on York Road, the Towson Learning Network (TLN) makes education accessible with the same MSCHE-accredited rigor. The U.S. News distinguished Towson for the 66th best online graduation education nationally. Placed 254th in MONEY Magazine’s ranking, Towson University is named America’s 117th best public university and 181st best value school by Forbes.Featuring an average retention rate of 86 percent, Towson awards the Applied Information Technology (M.S.) either online or off-campus at the University Center of Northeastern Maryland. Starting in the Fall, Spring, or Summer, the 33-unit curriculum offers six concentration areas, including Information Security and Assurance for cybersecurity expertise. Online post-grads advance their technical acumen for fast-paced IT solutions that protect the integrity of digital data. Expect logging into interactive courses like systems development process, network security, vulnerability analysis, and database management via Direct Access. Maryland residents pay $9,054, but out-of-state residents are billed $16,362 yearly. For application, majors select the independent study project or 140-hour internship.Towson University also offers two alternatives to the online cyber security degree program that costs $288 in-state and $806 out-of-state per unit. The Online Information Security & Assurance Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is a stand-alone, five-course option that could fulfill IACRB certification. Organized by Lisa Loewe, the curriculum includes courses for IT infrastructure, network security, risk analysis, systems development process, and security case studies. The Online Security Assessment & Management Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is another one-year, five-course offering for personnel interested in physical or cyber risk protection. Topics span from emergency communication to team building and tactical planning. Both require holding a bachelor’s with a minimum 2.75 GPA.Website11. DePaul UniversityCollege of Computing and Digital MediaOrganized by President Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul University is endowed for $420.1 million as the United States’ largest private, Catholic liberal arts and sciences institution upholding Vincentian values to educate 15,407 undergrad and 7,703 post-grad Blue Demons. From 36 main acres with Gold LEED-certification in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, DePaul operates locations in Naperville, O’Hare, and online. The U.S. News ranked DePaul as America’s 124th best university and 70th top value. Declared the 99th “Best College for Computer Science” on Niche, DePaul University won the Insight into Diversity Higher Education Excellence Award and placed on the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll.Recognized for a median early-career salary of $71,400, DePaul manages digital learning tools to provide playback courses online for its Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Integrating the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) credential, the 192-unit curriculum builds on liberal studies to cover the fundamentals of computer infrastructure design for secured access. For $615 per hour, the curriculum includes classes like host-based security, incident response, security engineering, database systems, and Python for programmers. Online undergrads need to finish 45+ quarter credits and one semester of C++ before entry. Students then benefit from practicum in the CDM Information Assurance and Security Lab, which consists of 80 routers and 40 firewalls.Presently billing $830 per unit, the Master of Science in Cybersecurity is another online DePaul option for graduates with 2+ years of IT experience to expand their skills for managing secured computer infrastructure to thwart increasing cyber risks. Led by Dr. Jean-Philippe Labruyere, the 52-credit curriculum offers three concentrations for Computer Security, Risk Management and Compliance, or Networking and Infrastructure. Requiring a 2.5 GPA or higher, the coursework ranges from digital forensic techniques and cryptology to object-oriented software development. Cutting-edge Cisco equipment allows for hands-on virtual learning, including a 10-week CINS Capstone and National Cyber League competition.Website12. University of Rhode IslandDigital Forensics and Cyber Security CenterEndowed for $124.6 million, the University of Rhode Island is a public, land-grant and sea-grant RU/VH institution founded in 1892 that’s now led by President David M. Dooley to employ 676 full-time staff who encourage 16,613 Rams to “Think Big.” Headquartered on 1,254 acres in the Kingston Historic District, URI delivers 130 NEASC-accredited academic programs from Providence, Narragansett, West Greenwich, and online through Sakai. According to the U.S. News, Rhode Island is America’s 159th best university and 83rd top public college. Ranked America’s 204th best economic value by The Economist, URI was deemed the 171st top research university nationally on Forbes.Starting each September with a July 1st application deadline, the Professional Science Master’s Degree in Cyber Security is available wholly online for University of Rhode Island post-grads who are working in IT. After the self-paced Fundamentals for Cyber Security workshop, the 36-credit curriculum seeks to protect public, corporate, and federal welfare by setting up strict security protocols on information systems. For $655 per credit or $2,620 per course, the DFCSC online degree integrates courses in digital forensics, incident response, intrusion detection, network security, and ethical hacking. Instead of a master’s thesis, students complete Cloud-based labs and internships with partners like Wetstone Technologies or ForensicSoft.Launched in 2004 under a U.S. National Science Foundation Grant, the DFCSC at Rhode Island also delivers the Cyber Security Graduate Certificate online for tech-focused, post-grad credentials without a full master’s. Available over nine, 12, 16, or 20 months, the four-course certificate suits working professionals with Net+ certification and comprehension of computer networks. Besides the core courses in systems security and information assurance, students choose a concentration in Advanced Incident Response, Advanced Intrusion Detection and Defense, or Penetration Testing for video lectures accessed 24/7. Certificate credits could transfer into URI’s Master’s in Computer Science or Ph.D. in Computer Science with a Cyber Security Concentration.Website13. Nova Southeastern UniversityCollege of Engineering and ComputingClassified for “Higher Research Activity” with $87 million in external funding, Nova Southeastern University is a private, nonprofit ICUF institution of the Sunshine State Conference that’s led by President George L. Hanbury II to inspire 24,148 Sharks in 18 colleges. Based upon 480 acres in Florida’s Greater Miami Metro in Davie near Dania Beach, Nova also excels with Web-based instruction that ranked 55th on Online Degree Reviews. The U.S. News named Nova Southeastern the 214th best national university with the 84th best online graduate education. Placed ninth for diversity, NSU was given a Forbes financial grade of “C” for America’s 395th most grateful graduates.Through the SREB Electronic Campus, Nova follows the “Principles of Good Practice” to award an accredited Master of Science in Information Assurance & Cybersecurity fully online. The 12-course, 36-credit curriculum spans 16 to 24 months for working professionals to address global concerns for securing network vulnerabilities to avert criminal hackings. Taught by only PhD-level professors, online courses include information security governance, network forensics, software engineering, operating systems, and applied cryptography with two electives. Each Blackboard course costs $775 per credit for virtual access to CIPhER labs, Electronic Library databases, and internship connections like the Capital Group IT Security Response Center.Post-master’s students seeking online cyber security degrees will find a unique online option in Nova Southeastern’s Ph.D. in Information Systems program with an Information Security Concentration. Expecting a minimum 3.25 GPA, the 64-credit curriculum opens advanced IT industry positions as well as teaching and research jobs in academia. Fourteen-week online courses like human-computer interaction, knowledge management, multivariate research, and information privacy are supplemented with just one on-campus trip to Fort Lauderdale quarterly. Charging $1,115 per credit after the $50 application fee, the online doctorate also includes two sections of directed research and a dissertation. There’s also a hybrid Ph.D. in Information Assurance available.Website14. Bellevue UniversityPublic Service, Safety, Security & Intelligence DivisionReaccredited by the HLC-NCA in 2014, Bellevue University is a private, nonprofit adult-friendly Nebraska institution celebrating its 50th anniversary that’s affiliated with notable alums like Abbie Cornett, Judd H. Lyons, and James R. Young. Endowed for $28.07 million to educate 10,304 Bruins with “Real Learning for Real Life,” Bellevue extends beyond its main Sarpy County campus to the Lozier Professional Center in Omaha and Online University. The U.S. News ranked Bellevue for America’s 92nd best online bachelor’s degrees. Honored for the #1 most generous credit transfers by Online Course Report, Bellevue University has earned CLO Magazine’s Bronze Excellence in Social Learning Award.Applauded among Government Security News’ Best Higher Education Award winners in 2015, the Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity attracts Bellevue cohorts who seek to safeguard sensitive data in impenetrable networks. Charging $410 per online credit, the 127-credit curriculum emphasizes the technical skills for spotting, analyzing, and addressing cyber risks with state-of-the-art technologies. Courses take an accelerated, nine-week format for quickly mastering risk auditing, cyber forensics, cryptography, access control, mobile device security, and more with the Kirkpatrick Signature Series. High school grads and GED recipients are assigned success advisors to personalize their course-by-course schedule. Bellevue alumni report a median mid-career salary of $102,000.Given 4.5 stars based on 1,743 student reviews, the Master of Science in Cybersecurity is another of Bellevue’s online degrees geared toward entry- and mid-level IT professionals seeking active instruction on the latest security technologies. Cohorts pay $565 per credit before financial aid to prepare for safeguarding organizations against hacking incidents. Logging into BRUIN for this 36-credit program will involve content like business continuity planning, risk management, operations security, cyberdeterrence, and cloud computing security. Analysts with 5+ years of experience could take the six-module, accelerated option for graduation in 12 months. There’s also a 36-credit M.S. in Security Management online for leadership-style training.Website15. Lewis UniversitySchool for Professional and Continuing EducationPromoting the motto “Signum Fidei,” Lewis University is a private, Catholic liberal arts institution devoted to the Lasallian tradition since its founding by the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1932 to enlighten 4,613 undergrad and 1,960 post-grad Flyers with a $56.32 million endowment. Led by President Dr. David J. Livingston from 410 acres in Romeoville, Illinois, Lewis also operates classrooms in Albuquerque and virtually through Blackboard. With a 62 percent admission rate, Lewis is deemed the Midwest’s 24th best university and 19th best for vets college by the U.S. News. Washington Monthly also crowned Lewis University the region’s 156th top value.Boasting a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, Lewis’ Online Information Security and Risk Management B.S. uses an accelerated format for undergrads to acquire the technical expertise to outsmart cyber criminals and protect vital personal or organizational information. The 64-credit, two-year program admits full-time students who’ve completed an associate degree at accredited schools like Moraine Valley Community College. Students take adult-only classes like IT law, disaster recovery planning, data discovery, and ethical hacking with 24/7 access. Lewis University offers a cutting-edge VMware CloudLab for simulations with Telemet Orion and Linux software. Some may also intern with CME Group and join the ISACA-Chicago Chapter.Priced at $795 per credit, the Master of Science in Information Security is another of Lewis University’s online offerings where experienced IT professionals prepare for developing efficient cyber defense operations. Graduates qualify for industry-leading certifications, including Security+, CISSP, and CISM, for protecting valuable assets in managerial positions. Lewis has placed over 40 alumni at Argonne National Laboratory’s IT Department too. Open with rolling admission, the 100 percent online option has eight-week courses with the Technical Concentration or Management Concentration. Virtual courses span from secure operating systems and network security to cybercrime identification and digital forensics before the capstone, 16-week research project.Website16. Champlain CollegeDivision of Information Technology & SciencesNestled upon a 22-acre, 50-building Victorian campus in Burlington, Vermont, Champlain College is a private, residential NEASC-accredited institution tracing back to 1878 that’s expanded to teach globally in Dublin, Montreal, and on the World Wide Web. Organized into five divisions led by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Laurie Quinn, Champlain educates 2,000 full-time students with an average class size of 17. According to the U.S. News, the North’s third most innovative school has the country’s 148th best online bachelor’s programs. As winner of the Way to Go Commuter Challenge in 2013, Champlain College also ranked #3 overall on the Online Education Database.Designated a DC National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence by the U.S. Air Force, Champlain offers working adults the ability to transfer up to 90 credits into the Online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program. Taught by practitioner faculty, the distance degree is directed by Ric Messier, CISSP, fully online with two, seven-week terms annually for training to defend digital intelligence from unscrupulous hackers. Priced at $641 per credit, courses include security scripting with Python, emerging threats, mobile security, system intrusion analysis, and webpage development with a senior seminar project. There’s also a B.S. in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations online.Voted #1 nationally in SC Magazine twice, Champlain post-grads pursue the Online M.S. in Information Security Operations with a standard completion rate of 80 percent. With access to the CNIS Club, students finish the 30-credit curriculum within 24 months to better understand current cyber attack vectors and formalize policy-driven IT precautions. Ideal for systems analysts with 2+ years of experience, accelerated seven-week webinars delve into malware analysis, vulnerability detection, operations management, game theory, and incident response. Theories are applied with virtual teams-based projects and the war games capstone. Admission to the $23,850 program requires an accredited bachelor’s with a 2.5 GPA or greater.Website17. Dakota State UniversityCollege of ComputingFollowing the Excellence Through Innovation 2020 Plan, Dakota State University is a public, polytechnic STEM-centric institution directed by President José-Marie Griffiths that’s endowed for $10.1 million to educate 3,047 Trojans and give upper-division majors free tablet PCs. Located on 20 acres in Madison, South Dakota, with the acclaimed Karl E. Mundt Library, DSU also delivers HLC-accredited courses in Sioux Falls and over the Internet. The U.S. News ranked Dakota State the Midwest’s 108th best university with the 185th top online graduate education countrywide. Deemed America’s 220th “Best College for Computer Science” on Niche, DSU was placed 113th by the Educate to Career College Ranking.Eligible for the full-ride Cyber Corps Scholarship and $20,000 stipend, Dakota State University’s Online B.S. in Cyber Operations suits young programmers who wish to develop the hacker mindset to resolve tech vulnerabilities before breaches occur. The bachelor’s requires completing 30 credits annually for four years to master how reverse engineering works to create secure computer hardware and software. Online courses are capped at 35 for engaging in virtual labs like malware analysis, cellular security, assembly language, and data structures. Charging $335 per credit, the program lets undergrads join DakotaCon, compete in the ACM North Central Region, and intern with Los Alamos National Laboratory.Currently costing $444 per credit, the DSU College of Computing’s M.S. in Information Assurance & Computer Security is also accessible 24/7 online with the GetEducated | Review, Rate, Rank & Compare Online Colleges & Degrees | GetEducated “Affordability” badge. Applications are accepted until June 15th, November 15th, or April 15th annually for bachelor’s graduates with an overall 3.0 GPA and satisfactory GRE scores. The 30-credit degree prepares IT systems analysts for leading the strategic cybersecurity efforts to reduce risk of digital attack. It could be completed with the accelerated 4+1 Computer Science B.S./MSIA track. Other post-grad online opportunities include the Banking Security Certificate, Ethical Hacking Certificate, and Doctor of Science (DSc) in Cyber Security.Website18. Davenport UniversityCollege of TechnologyFounded by Conrad G. Swensburg in 1866 with just 16 students in office skills training, Davenport University has evolved into a private, nonprofit multi-campus GLIAC institution that’s encouraging 7,767 Panthers to “Get Where the World is Going.” Organized by President Richard Pappas, Ed.D., Davenport uses its 69-acre main campus in Grand Rapids to cover Michigan from Holland to Livonia and deliver online study via Blackboard. The U.S. News recognized Davenport for America’s 186th best online baccalaureate degrees. Named the 98th “Best Online College” and 120th “Most Conservative College” on Niche, Davenport University ranked in the top 5 percent for computer science on College Factual.Unlocking a median mid-career salary of $90,120, the DU Global Campus conducts its Cyber Defense Bachelor of Science 100 percent online for learning the myriad of technological tools used to protect digital information. Costing $707 per credit for Michiganders with a 33 percent discount for non-residents, the four-year degree nurtures the performance-based skills for developing internal and external infrastructure checks to curb criminal intrusion. The 45-credit major offers elective tracks for Math Modeling, Information Assurance, or Healthcare Information Assurance. In 2015, undergrads on the Cyber Defense team finished #1 in the Michigan Collegiate Cyber League. Alumni excel with Delphi Corporation, NETech, DHS, and more.Another online cyber security degree program from Davenport University is the M.S. in Information Assurance, which is estimated to cost $765 per credit before textbooks. Mapped to the Committee on National Security Systems training Standard 4011, the 34-credit degree preps post-graduates for leading cyber operations that minimize risk to organizational assets. Starting six times yearly, the online program’s seven-week courses explore IT business continuity, cryptography, application security, digital forensics, and banking security. During their fourth term, MSIA enrollees purse a master’s thesis research topic with PhD-level faculty advisors. Davenport integrates cyber security courses in the Online M.S. in Technology Management too.Website19. Mercy CollegeDepartment of Mathematics and Computer ScienceAcclaimed for its Cybersecurity Education Center, Mercy College stands atop 66 acres in the Hudson Valley suburb of Dobbs Ferry just 25 miles north of New York City as a private, nonsectarian NAICU research institution directed by President Timothy L. Hall. Endowed for $193.5 million, Mercy has expanded since 1950 to educate 11,295 Mavericks total from Yorktown Heights and the Bronx to the World Wide Web. Included in Barron’s Best Buys in College Education, Mercy College was ranked the 457th best master’s university and 190th top value by Washington Monthly. Niche also distinguished Mercy as America’s 113th “Best Online College” and 88th “Safest College.”Delivered by PhD-trained faculty from Pittsburgh, Shanghai Jiao Tong, George Mason, Florida, and more, Mercy’s Cybersecurity B.S. is available online over four years full-time. The 120-credit, MSCHE-accredited degree fulfills high demand in today’s information age to adapt sound security policies that prevent digital disasters. Undergrads can transfer a maximum of 75 credits from two-year colleges and 90 credits from universities. Aspiring IT professionals will delve into courses like artificial intelligence, website administration, penetration testing, intelligent programming, and Linux networking for $761 per credit taken. Seniors could also add the cybersecurity workplace experience with big-name NYC companies like Morgan Stanley and BNY Mellon.Selectively admitting 72 percent of applicants for a 17:1 student-faculty ratio, the M.S. in Cybersecurity is another of Mercy’s online options for post-bachelor’s scholars to safeguard data in our interconnected, tech-savvy world. Graduates build the advanced IT and leadership skills for assuming mid- and upper-level jobs, such as Chief Security Officer, that defend networks from breaches. Satisfying CISSP credentialing, the 30-credit, online curriculum integrates courses like data mining, forensic computing, firewall installation, IT compliance, and distributed database security for $876 per credit with a master’s project. Undergrads with a minimum 3.3 GPA could pursue the Dual B.S./M.S. online too.Website20. Wilmington UniversityCollege of Online and Experiential LearningAffiliated with noteworthy alumni like Hugh T. Broomall, Ruth Briggs King, and Francis D. Vavala, Wilmington University is a private, nonsectarian doctoral-granting research hub in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference that’s endowed for $68.3 million. Although WilmU is headquartered off Route 13 in New Castle, Delaware, over 40 percent of the 20,522 student population studies online for MSCHE-accredited education. Ranked for America’s 202nd best online baccalaureate programs by the U.S. News, Wilmington is crowned the 101st “Best Online College” overall on Niche. Washington Monthly also applauded Wilmington University as the 258th best national college and 95th top Northeastern value.Touting a Blackboard Exemplary Course Award win, the Online B.S. in Computer and Network Security immerses WilmU Wildcats in the fast-paced tech sector to defend against spyware, adware, malware, and other cybercrimes that compromise networks. Given CAE Certification, the 120-credit curriculum develops security analysts with the best practices to implement information assurance projects ethically. General education courses like public speaking and college math lead to major online classes for electronic discovery, cyberlaw, criminal procedures, perimeter security, and algorithm applications for $363 per credit. Students could embed 400-600 hours of cooperative education at firms like Danisco US and SSD Technology Partners.Post-grads choosing Wilmington University may earn the M.S. in Homeland Security with the Information Assurance Concentration 100 percent online or in New Castle. Priced at $466 per credit, the master’s program sharpens students’ security preparedness to identify, evaluate, and address threats to our homeland’s most sensitive data. Ideal for future DHS jobs, the 33-credit curriculum blends courses on terrorism, risk assessment, crisis leadership, Web security, radio frequency identification, and operating systems control. Some credits could be transferred from the FBI National Academy if applicable. Prospective online students may also consider the M.S. in Information Systems Technologies and Digital Evidence Discovery Certificate.

Apparently you either relied on someone else for your information, or you just didn't pay attention. So let me refresh your memory.Here's the Timeline of the Trump Administration's Response to the Wuhan CoronavirusBeth Baumann | Apr 13, 2020 8:00 PMSource: AP Photo/Alex BrandonThe Trump campaign on Monday released a timeline of the Trump administration's response to the Wuhan coronavirus. Below is the timeline of events around the world and throughout the United States. Prominent decisions and actions are bolded.DECEMBER:December 31: China reports the discovery of the coronavirus to the World Health Organization.JANUARY:January 3: CDC Director Robert Redfield sent an email to the director of the Chinese CDC, George Gao, formally offering to send U.S. experts to China to investigate the coronavirus.January 5: CDC Director Redfield sent another email to the Chinese CDC Director, George Gao, formally offering to send U.S. experts to China to investigate the coronavirus outbreak,January 6: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for Wuhan, China due to the spreading coronavirus.January 7: The CDC established a coronavirus incident management system to better share and respond to information about the virus.January 11: The CDC issued a Level I travel health notice for Wuhan, China.January 17: The CDC began implementing public health entry screening at the 3 U.S. airports that received the most travelers from Wuhan – San Francisco, New York JFK, and Los Angeles.January 20: Dr. Fauci announces the National Institutes of Health is already working on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.January 21: The CDC activated its emergency operations center to provide ongoing support to the coronavirus response.January 23: The CDC sought a “special emergency authorization” from the FDA to allow states to use its newly developed coronavirus test.January 27: President Trump tweeted that he made an offer to President Xi Jinping to send experts to China to investigate the coronavirus outbreak.January 27: The CDC issued a level III travel health notice urging Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China due to the coronavirus.January 27: The White House Coronavirus Task Force started meeting to help monitor and contain the spread of the virus and provide updates to the President.January 29: The White House announced the formation of the Coronavirus Task Force to help monitor and contain the spread of the virus and provide updates to the President.January 31: The Trump Administration:Declared the coronavirus a public health emergency.Announced Chinese travel restrictions.Suspended entry into the United States for foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the coronavirus.January 31: The Department of Homeland Security took critical steps to funnel all flights from China into just 7 domestic U.S. airports.FEBRUARY:February 3: The CDC had a team ready to travel to China to obtain critical information on the novel coronavirus, but were in the U.S. awaiting permission to enter by the Chinese government.February 4: President Trump vowed in his State of the Union Address to “take all necessary steps” to protect Americans from the coronavirus.February 6: The CDC began shipping CDC-Developed test kits for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to U.S. and international labs.February 7: President Trump told reporters that the CDC is working with China on the coronavirus.February 9: The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefed governors from across the nation at the National Governors’ Association Meeting in Washington.February 11: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded a partnership with Janssen Research & Development to “expedite the development” of a coronavirus vaccine.February 12: The U.S. shipped test kits for the 2019 novel coronavirus to approximately 30 countries who lacked the necessary reagents and other materials.February 12: The CDC was prepared to travel to China but had yet to receive permission from the Chinese government.February 14: The CDC began working with five labs to conduct “community-based influenza surveillance” to study and detect the spread of coronavirus.February 18: HHS announced it would engage with Sanofi Pasteur in an effort to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine and to develop treatment for coronavirus infections.February 22: A WHO team of international experts arrives in Wuhan, China.February 24: The Trump Administration sent a letter to Congress requesting at least $2.5 billion to help combat the spread of the coronavirus.February 26: President Trump discussed coronavirus containment efforts with Indian PM Modi and updated the press on his Administration’s containment efforts in the U.S. during his state visit to India.February 29: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed certified labs to develop and begin testing coronavirus testing kits while reviewing pending applications.February 29: The Trump Administration:Announced a level 4 travel advisory to areas of Italy and South Korea.Barred all travel to Iran.Barred the entry of foreign citizens who visited Iran in the last 14 days.MARCH:March 3: The CDC lifted federal restrictions on coronavirus testing to allow any American to be tested for coronavirus, “subject to doctor’s orders.”March 3: The White House announced President Trump donated his fourth-quarter salary to fight the coronavirus.March 4: The Trump Administration announced the purchase of approximately 500 million N95 respirators over the next 18 months to respond to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.March 4: Secretary Azar announced that HHS was transferring $35 million to the CDC to help state and local communities that have been impacted most by the coronavirus.March 6: President Trump signed an $8.3 billion bill to fight the coronavirus outbreak.The bill provides $7.76 billion to federal, state, & local agencies to combat the coronavirus and authorizes an additional $500 million in waivers for Medicare telehealth restrictions.March 9: President Trump called on Congress to pass a payroll tax cut over coronavirus.March 10: President Trump and VP Pence met with top health insurance companies and secured a commitment to waive co-pays for coronavirus testing.March 11: President Trump:Announced travel restrictions on foreigners who had visited Europe in the last 14 days.Directed the Small Business Administration to issue low-interest loans to affected small businesses and called on Congress to increase this fund by $50 billion.Directed the Treasury Department to defer tax payments for affected individuals & businesses, & provide $200 billion in “additional liquidity.”Met with American bankers at the White House to discuss coronavirus.March 13: President Trump declared a national emergency in order to access $42 billion in existing funds to combat the coronavirus.March 13: President Trump announced:Public-private partnerships to open up drive-through testing collection sites.A pause on interest payments on federal student loans.An order to the Department of Energy to purchase oil for the strategic petroleum reserve.March 13: The Food & Drug Administration:Granted Roche AG an emergency approval for automated coronavirus testing kits.Issued an emergency approval to Thermo Fisher for a coronavirus test within 24 hours of receiving the request.March 13: HHS announced funding for the development of two new rapid diagnostic tests, which would be able to detect coronavirus in approximately 1 hour.March 14: The Coronavirus Relief Bill passed the House of Representatives.March 14: The Trump Administration announced the European travel ban will extend to the UK and Ireland.March 15: President Trump held a phone call with over two dozen grocery store executives to discuss on-going demand for food and other supplies.March 15: HHS announced it is projected to have 1.9 million COVID-19 tests available in 2,000 labs this week.March 15: Google announced a partnership with the Trump Administration to develop a website dedicated to coronavirus education, prevention, & local resources.March 15: All 50 states were contacted through FEMA to coordinate “federally-supported, state-led efforts” to end coronavirus.March 16: President Trump:Held a teleconference with governors to discuss coronavirus preparedness and response.Participated in a call with G7 leaders who committed to increasing coordination in response to the coronavirus and restoring global economic confidence.Announced that the first potential vaccine for coronavirus has entered a phase one trial in a record amount of time.Announced “15 days to slow the spread” coronavirus guidance.March 16: The FDA announced it was empowering states to authorize tests developed and used by labs in their states.March 16: Asst. Secretary for Health confirmed the availability of 1 million coronavirus tests, and projected 2 million tests available the next week and 5 million the following.March 17: President Trump announced:CMS will expand telehealth benefits for Medicare beneficiaries.Relevant Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act penalties will not be enforced.The Army Corps of Engineers is on ”standby” to assist federal & state governments.March 17: President Trump spoke to fast food executives from Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King to discuss drive-thru services recommended by CDCMarch 17: President Trump met with tourism industry representatives along with industrial supply, retail, and wholesale representatives.March 17: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin met with lawmakers to discuss stimulus measures to relieve the economic burden of coronavirus on certain industries, businesses, and American workers.March 17: Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a partnership between USDA, Baylor University, McLane Global, and Pepsi Co. to provide one million meals per weak to rural children in response to widespread school closures.March 17: The Treasury Department:Contributed $10 billion through the economic stabilization fund to the Federal Reserve’s commercial paper funding facility.Deferred $300 billion in tax payments for 90 days without penalty, up to $1 million for individuals & $10 million for business.March 17: The Department of Defense announced it will make available to HHS up to five million respirator masks and 2,000 ventilators.March 18: President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides free testing and paid sick leave for workers impacted by the coronavirus.March 18: President Trump announced:Temporary closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential traffic.Plans to invoke the Defense Production Act in order to increase the number of necessary supplies needed to combat coronavirus.FEMA has been activated in every region at its highest level of response.The U.S. Navy will deploy USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy hospital ships.All foreclosures and evictions will be suspended for a period of time.March 18: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed:1 million masks are now immediately available.The Army Corps of Engineers is in NY consulting on how to best assist state officials.March 18: HHS temporarily suspended a regulation that prevents doctors from practicing across state lines.March 18: President Trump spoke to:Doctors, physicians, and nurses on the front lines containing the spread of coronavirus.130 CEOs of the Business Roundtable to discuss on-going public-private partnerships in response to the coronavirus pandemic.March 19: President Trump announced:Very encouraging progress shown by anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine for fighting coronavirus.Carnival Cruise Lines will make ships available for use as hospitals in impacted areas to use for non-coronavirus patients.March 19: Vice President Pence announced tens of thousands of ventilators have been identified that can be converted to treat patients.March 19: The State Department issued a global level 4 health advisory, telling Americans to avoid all international travel due to coronavirus.March 19: President Trump directed FEMA to take the lead on the Federal Government’s coronavirus response & visited FEMA HQ with Vice President Pence for a video call with Governors.March 20: The U.S. and Mexico agree to mutually restrict nonessential cross-border traffic.March 20: Secretary Mnuchin announced at the direction of President Trump that tax day will be moved from April 15 to July 15 for all taxpayers and businesses.March 20: President Trump:Spoke with Sen. Schumer about coronavirus response & stimulus measuresHeld a call with over 12,000 small business owners to discuss relief effortsAnnounced the CDC will invoke Title 42 to provide border patrol with tools to secure the bordersMarch 20: The Department of Education announced it will:Not enforce standardized testing requirements for the remainder of the school yearAllow federal student loan borrowers to stop payments without penalty for 60 daysMarch 20: Secretary Azar announced:FEMA is coordinating and assisting coronavirus testing at labs across the countryThe CDC is suspending all illegal entries to the country based on the public health threat, via Section 362 of the Public Health & Security ActMarch 20: Secretary Azar sent a letter to all 50 Governors that the federal government is buying and making available 200,000 testing swabsMarch 21: Vice President Pence announced to date over 195,000 Americans tested for coronavirus and have received their resultsMarch 21: The Trump Administration announced HHS placed an order for hundreds of millions of N95 masks through FEMAMarch 21: The FDA announced it had given emergency approval to a new coronavirus test that delivers results in hours, with an intended rollout of March 30March 21: Adm. Giroir confirmed 10 million testing kits had been put into the commercial market from March 2 through March 14March 22: President Trump approved major disaster declarations for:Washington StateCaliforniaMarch 22: President Trump announced:Governors will remain in command of National Guard forces & the federal govt will fund 100% of operations costHe directed the federal govt to provide 4 large federal medical stations with 2,000 beds for CA & 1,000 beds for NY & WA.March 22: President Trump confirmed his administration was working with Peru & Honduras to return Americans stranded in both countries as a result of travel restrictions.March 22: Vice President Pence announced:The testing backlog will be resolved by midweek.To date, over 254,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their results.March 22: President Trump announced that the USNS Mercy will be deployed to Los Angeles.March 22: FEMA issued guidance for tribal governments to seek federal assistance under the President’s emergency declaration.March 23: President Trump signed an executive order invoking section 4512 of the Defense Production Act to prohibit the hoarding of vital medical supplies.March 23: VP Pence announced:313,000 Americans were tested for the coronavirus & received results.FEMA established a supply chain stabilization task force so Americans get supplies they need.HHS will have commercial labs prioritize testing for hospitalized patients.March 23: The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy announced a public-private consortium to:Advance coronavirus research.Provide access to computing technology and resources for researchers.March 23: Attorney General Barr announced:The Justice Department held a National Task Force meeting on hoarding and price gouging.Each of the 93 U.S. Attorney General offices is designating a lead prosecutor to prevent hoarding.March 23: President Trump announced HHS is working to designate essential medical supplies as “scarce” to prohibit hoarding of these items.March 23: The Treasury Department announced it is working with the Federal Reserve to lend up to $300 billion to businesses and local governments.March 24: President Trump announced the Army Corps of Engineers & the National Guard are constructing four hospitals and four medical centers in New York.March 24: President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the state of Iowa related to the coronavirus outbreak.March 24: Vice President Pence:Confirmed FEMA sent New York 2,000 ventilators.Announced individuals who have recently been in New York should self-quarantine for 14 days.March 24: Dr. Deborah Birx announced the U.S. has conducted more coronavirus tests in the last week than South Korea has over the prior eight weeks.March 24: The U.S. Army issued orders for three army hospitals to deploy their health care professionals to New York and Washington state, at the direction of Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.March 25: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the #coronavirus outbreak for:TexasFloridaNorth CarolinaMarch 25: President Trump & Vice President Pence held a conference call with 140 non-profit organization leaders, including The Salvation Army & The Red Cross, to discuss coronavirus response efforts.March 25: President Trump signed a bill reauthorizing The Older Americans Act, which supports senior citizens by providing meals, transportation, and other crucial services.March 25: Vice President PenceHeld a conference call with equipment manufacturers to discuss on-going coronavirus response efforts.Announced 432,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received results.Confirmed 4,000 ventilators were delivered to New York.March 25: Vice President Pence held discussions with multiple governors, including the Governor of Indiana & the Governor of MichiganMarch 26: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:IllinoisNew JerseyMarylandMissouriMarch 26: President Trump announced the USNS Comfort will depart for NYC on Saturday to assist in the coronavirus response – 3 weeks ahead of schedule!March 26: President Trump participated in a video conference with the leaders of the G20 to discuss the global coronavirus response & the need for countries to share information and data on the spread of the virus.March 26: President Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the coronavirus.March 26: Vice President Pence announced 552,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their results.March 26: Dr. Fauci announced the Federal Government is working with companies to speed up production of potential coronavirus vaccines while those drugs are still in the trial phase.March 27: President Trump signed The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law.March 27: President Trump signed a Defense Production Act memorandum ordering General Motors (GM) "to accept, perform, and prioritize federal contractors for ventilators.March 27: President Trump signed an executive order allowing the military to activate members of the Selected Reserve and Ready Reserve to active duty to assist with the Federal response to the coronavirus.March 27: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:South CarolinaPuerto RicoMarch 27: President Trump appointed Office of Trade and Manufacturing policy director Peter Navarro to serve as the Defense Production Act Policy Coordinator.March 27: President Trump announced that 100,000 ventilators are projected to be manufactured in the next 100 days, three times the amount typically manufactured in one year.March 27: President Trump announced that Boeing offered the use of three "Dreamlifter" cargo air crafts to transport medical supplies across the country.March 27: Partnering with FEMA, the CDC, and the Coronavirus Task Force, Apple released a coronavirus app which allows users to screen for their symptoms.March 27: President Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the global coronavirus response and committed to helping provide ventilators to the U.K. where possible.March 27: Vice President Pence announced that 685,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their test results.March 27: Emory University began enrolling participants for a phase one clinical trial, sponsored by the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of a new, potential coronavirus vaccine.March 27: FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor spoke to the director of each of the state's emergency operations about the state-led, federally-supported coronavirus response effort.March 27: The USNS Mercy arrived in the port of Los Angelse to help relieve the strain on hospital facilities in Southern California.March 28: President Trump visited Norfolk, VA to send off the USNS Comfort to New York City where it will help relieve the strain on local hospitals.March 28: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:GuamMichiganMassachusettsKentuckyColoradoMarch 28: President Trump spoke with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding the coronavirus response effort.March 28: The CDC issued new guidance for residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to avoid non-essential domestic travel for 14 days to #StopTheSpread of the coronavirus within the U.S.March 29: President Trump announced that CDC guidelines will be extended through April 30 to promote #socialdistancing and other measures to stop the spread of the #coronavirus.March 29: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:ConnecticutOregonGeorgiaWashington DCMarch 29: President Trump met with supply chain distributors including FedEx, Cardinal Health, and UPS to discuss ways to get state and local governments necessary medical supplies to combat the coronavirus.March 29: President Trump congratulated the Army Corps of Engineers for having completed construction on a 2,900 bedroom temporary hospital at the Javits Center in New York.March 29: President Trump tweeted his support for the FDA to expedite the approval process to approve mask sterilization equipment produced by Battelle.March 29: President Trump announced the on-going study of 1,100 patients in New York being treated with Hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus.March 29: President Trump directed the Treasury & Labor Departments to look at reinstating deductions of business expenses at restaurants, bars, and entertainment businesses to help the hospitality industry.March 29: The first "Project Airbridge" shipment of medical supplies from abroad, organized by FEMA, landed at JFK airport, carrying 80 tons of masks, face shields, and other vital medical supplies.March 29: President Trump announced that Cigna and Humana are waving co-pays for coronavirus treatment.March 29: Vice President Pence sent a letter to hospital administrators requesting that hospitals across the country report their coronavirus data to the Federal Government in addition to state authorities.March 29: Adm. Giroir announced that 894,000 Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their results.March 29: HHS accepted 30 million doses of Hydroxychloroquine, donated by Sandoz, and one million doses of Chloroquine, donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, for clinical trials and possible treatment of coronavirus patients.March 30: President Trump announced that one million Americans have been tested for coronavirus and received their results.March 30: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:AlabamaKansasPennsylvaniaRhode IslandMarch 30: Secretary Azar announced that the FDA has approved Battelle’s N95 mask sanitization process for use to decontaminate tens of thousands of masks per day.March 30: President Trump announced further private sector commitments to manufacture personal protective equipment by MyPillow, Honeywell, Jockey, Procter & Gamble, and United Technologies.March 30: President Trump announced, to date, FEMA has dedicated $1.3 billion to assist New York State’s coronavirus response.March 30: President Trump announced “more than 14,000” National Guard service members have been activated to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.March 30: President Trump spoke with the nation’s governors about their need for medical supplies.March 30: President Trump announced that in the coming days the Federal Government will be delivering:400 ventilators to Michigan300 ventilators to New Jersey150 ventilators to Louisiana150 ventilators to Illinois50 ventilators to ConnecticutMarch 30: President Trump spoke to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy and pledged to send $100 million of medical supplies to aid Italy’s battle against coronavirus.March 30: Answering President Trump’s call for the private sector to join the fight against the #coronavirus, Ford Motor Company committed to producing 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days.March 30: On coronavirus testing, Secretary Azar announced that the U.S. is currently testing nearly 100,000 samples per day.March 30: HHS took steps to accelerate a clinical trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Janssen Research & Development.March 30: CMS announced new regulatory changes to cut red tape and give flexibility to America’s health care workers by relaxing hospital workforce regulations, expanding child care, meal, and laundry services for health care workers, expanding tele-health reimbursement, and more.March 30: The USNS Comfort arrived in New York Harbor, providing more than 1,000 more hospital beds for patients without coronavirus, to relieve pressure on local hospitals.March 30: The USNS Mercy began treating patients in Los Angeles.March 31: President Trump officially issued “30 Days To Slow The Spread” guidance to mitigate the outbreak of coronavirus.March 31: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:OhioMontanaMarch 31: President Trump participated in a conference call with executives of American Network Service Providers to promote connectivity amid social distancing.March 31: President Trump announced that the federal government is stockpiling 10,000 ventilators to be urgently distributed as needed once the coronavirus pandemic hits its peak in the U.S.March 31: President Trump announced that the Treasury Department and SBA are rapidly mobilizing money from the CARES Act’s $349 billion paycheck protection program, with the program set to be “up and running” by April 3.March 31: President Trump spoke to Michigan Governor Whitmer about the state’s need for ventilators.March 31: President Trump announced the Army Corps of Engineers & FEMA will construct:8 facilities with 50,000 bed capacity in CaliforniaA field hospital with 250 bed capacity in Michigan2 field hospitals in Louisiana with 500 bed capacityAn alternative care sight in New Orleans with a 3,000 bed capacityMarch 31: President Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the international effort to defeat the coronavirus and support the global economy.March 31: President Trump and the First Lady spoke with their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain about efforts to combat the coronavirus.March 31: Vice President Pence announced that 10 states now have access to federal funding for The National Guard to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.March 31: Vice President Pence announced that 17,000 National Guard Servicemen have been activated across the country to assist in the coronavirus response.March 31: Vice President Pence announced that 1.1 million coronavirus tests have been completed.March 31: Adm. Giroir & Surgeon General Adams issued an open letter to the U.S. health care community about how to optimize the use of ventilators.March 31: The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a two-minute coronavirus antibody test developed by Bodysphere Inc.March 31: The Treasury Department and IRS launched the employee retention credit, created by the CARES Act to incentivize businesses to keep their employees on payroll, and said businesses can begin using it.March 31: The VA announced that it had expanded virtual services to veterans, continuing to provide care while limiting in-person interactions that could potentially harm vulnerable populations at VA facilities.APRIL:April 1: President Trump approved a major disaster declaration related to the coronavirus outbreak for:North DakotaHawaiiThe Northern Mariana IslandsApril 1: President Trump spoke to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon about the need to procure gowns for hospitalsApril 1: President Trump spoke to military families whose relocation or reunion with loved ones was impacted by the coronavirus.April 1: President Trump announced that the construction & refurbishing of two additional hospital ships like the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort are being considered.April 1: Vice President Pence announced that 1.2 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 1: The White House, HHS, and the FDA worked with Senator Rob Portman to acquire and authorize for use over two million gowns donated to the Strategic National Stockpile by Cardinal Health.April 1: Dr. Birx announced that the White House issued a challenge to universities and states to develop ELISA, or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays, tests to detect coronavirus antibodies in larger communities more quickly.April 1: The Treasury Department released FAQs to help small and medium businesses understand the paid sick and family leave tax credits now offered under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.April 1: The Department of Labor posted a temporary rule to implement the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in order to provide paid sick and family leave.April 1: In New York City, the USNS Comfort began treating its first patients.April 1: The VA opened its East Orange, NJ medical center to serve non-veteran coronavirus patients to assist the state and FEMA in their response to coronavirus.April 1: The Treasury Department announced that Social Security recipients, including senior citizens, disabled Americans, and low-income Americans who do not file tax returns will have their coronavirus relief payments directly deposited into their bank accounts.April 2: President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to direct 3M to produce more N95 respirator masks.April 2: President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to help 6 companies (General Electric, Hill-Rom Holdings, Medtronic, ResMed, eRoyal Philips, and Vyaire Medical) get the supplies they need to make ventilators.April 2: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the #coronavirus outbreak for:VirginiaTennesseeThe U.S. Virgin IslandsApril 2: President Trump discussed the production of ventilators with GM CEO Mary Barra.April 2: President Trump announced that The Javits Center temporary hospital will be converted into a coronavirus hospital.April 2: President Trump announced that the Department of Defense will be establishing 48 more ICU beds in New York.April 2: President Trump announced that the Federal Government will be establishing a coronavirus hospital in Louisiana and Texas.April 2: President Trump took an additional coronavirus test and tested negative.April 2: President Trump ordered the Federal Government to cover the costs of all National Guard operations in states with recently approved disaster declarations.April 2: President Trump sent Senator Chuck Schumer a letter debunking false claims made against the Trump Administration’s coronavirus response.April 2: Secretary Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza announced that the Paycheck Protection Program, created by the CARES Act to provide $350 billion in loans to small businesses, will be launched tomorrow.April 2: Secretary Mnuchin announced that the first relief payments will be dispersed within two weeks.April 2: Vice President Pence announced that 1.3 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 2: Vice President Pence announced that all Blue Cross Blue Shield Members will be waiving out of pocket costs for coronavirus treatment.April 2: Rear Adm. Polowczyk announced FEMA’s Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force has delivered:27.1 million surgical masks19.5 N95 million respirator masks22.4 million surgical gloves5.2 million face shieldsOver 7,600 ventilatorsApril 2: First Lady Melania Trump had a phone call with Mrs. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau of Canada, who is recovering from the coronavirus.April 2: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $25 billion in federal funding to support public transportation systems in response to the coronavirus.April 2: The Department of Justice and HHS distributed 192,000 N95 respirator masks confiscated from price gougers to health care workers in New York and New Jersey.April 2: The FDA approved the first coronavirus antibody test, developed by Cellex.April 2: The FDA issued new guidance to increase the supply of blood donations, reducing the deferral period for gay men from 12 months to 3 months.April 2: The Department of Education donated 5,760 N95 respirator masks discovered in storage to aid the fight against the coronavirus.April 2: Secretary Pompeo announced that the State Department has now brought home 30,000 Americans stranded overseas as a result of coronavirus-related travel restrictions.April 2: April 2: HHS announced it was relaxing enforcement of HIPAA violations to encourage health care providers to share coronavirus data and information with federal and state health care officials.April 2: The Trump Administration issued recommendations to nursing homes to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus.April 2: HUD announced it was immediately making $3 billion of CARES Act funding available to help America’s low-income families and most vulnerable citizens across the nation.April 2: The Energy Department announced it would immediately make 30 million barrels of the strategic petroleum reserve’s (SPR’s) oil storage capacity available to struggling U.S. oil producers.April 3: President Trump announced new voluntary CDC guidelines that all Americans wear non-medical, fabric or cloth face masks to prevent asymptomatic spread of coronavirus.April 3: The President met with energy execs from Phillips 66, Devon Energy, Continental Resources, Hilcorp Energy, Occidental Petroleum, The American Petroleum Institute, The Energy Transfer Partners, Chevron, & Exxon Mobil to discuss coronavirus’ impact on the energy industry.April 3: President Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss convening the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in an effort to defeat the coronavirus and discuss its impact on the world.April 3: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:New HampshireWest VirginiaIndianaArkansasOregonApril 3: President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum blocking the export of N95 and other respirator masks, surgical masks, PPE gloves, and surgical gloves to ensure they are available in the U.S. – designating them as “scarce” under the Defense Production Act.April 3: President Trump announced that Anthem will waive co-pays for coronavirus treatment for 60 days.April 3: President Trump announced that uninsured Americans will have their coronavirus treatment covered, using funding from the CARES Act.April 3: Trump Administration officials spoke to the directors of the two largest health care providers in Louisiana, Ochsner and LCMC Health, to discuss their need for medical supplies.April 3: President Trump directed FEMA to send Ochsner Surgical Gowns.April 3: President Trump announced that 9,000 retired Army medical personnel have volunteered and are assisting the federal response to the coronavirus.April 3: President Trump announced that the DOJ and HHS have together secured:200,000 N95 masks130,000 surgical masks600,000 glovesfrom hoarders and have distributed the supplies to health care workers.April 3: Vice President Pence announced that 1.4 million coronavirus tests have been completed to date.April 3: Vice President Pence announced that 18,000 machines are already available across the country to administer Abbott 15 Minute Coronavirus Tests, with another 1,200 soon to be distributed to states.April 3: Vice President Pence announced that a Project Airbridge flight landed in Columbus, Ohio with medical supplies.April 3: Secretary Azar announced a public-private partnership with Oracle to collect crowd-sourced data on coronavirus therapeutic treatments.April 3: The SBA launched the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, issuing more than 17,500 loans valued at $5.4 billion.April 3: The Army Corps of Engineers is working with states to assess 750 requests for temporary hospital facilities, having completed 673 already.April 3: The FDA announced it would coordinate the national effort to develop blood-related therapies for COVID-19.April 3: The Defense Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force launched a new portal giving the private sector the ability to submit information and solutions to the DoD.April 3: The State Department announced that they have awarded contracts for 8 new medical facilities, totaling 9,693 new beds.April 3: The Department of Labor issued guidance to help employers reduce their use of N95 respirators, freeing up supply for the coronavirus response.April 3: HUD announced it is making $200 million in Indian housing block grants for Indian Tribes under the CARES Act.April 3: EPA Administrator Wheeler held a call with retailers and marketplace platforms to discuss ways to protect consumers from fake disinfectants.April 3: First Lady Melania Trump held a phone call with Mrs. Brigitte Macron of France to discuss the coronavirus response.April 4: President Trump announced that 1,000 members of the Defense Department’s Medical Corps will be deployed to New York to assist in the fight against coronavirus.April 4: President Trump spoke to commissioners of major league sports organizations including the MLB, NFL, & NBA, recognizing what the leagues, teams, and players are doing in their communities to combat coronavirus.April 4: President Trump tweeted encouragement to American children unable to start their Little League baseball season on time due to coronavirus.April 4: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:NebraskaWisconsinMaineNevadaApril 4: President Trump announced that he was considering a second coronavirus task force focused on the economy.April 4: President Trump urged PM Modi of India to allow Hydroxychloroquine to be shipped to the United States.April 4: President Trump announced that the U.S. government has repatriated over 40,000 Americans from 75 countries.April 4: Vice President Pence spoke to Governors of New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Maryland.April 4: FEMA obligated $44 million to Iowa under the state’s major disaster declaration to combat the coronavirus.April 5: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:South DakotaNew MexicoOklahomaMississippiApril 5: April 5: President Trump announced that by Tuesday, 3,000 military and medical personnel will have deployed to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to assist in the coronavirus response effort.April 5: President Trump announced that the Trump Administration will be sending New York 600,000 N95 masks tomorrow, including 200,000 to Suffolk County alone.April 5: President Trump announced that the Administration will soon send:300 ventilators to Michigan200 ventilators to Louisiana600 ventilators to Illinois100 ventilators to Massachusetts500 ventilators to New JerseyApril 5: President Trump announced the establishment of a federal coronavirus medical station in Washington D.C.April 5: President Trump announced that Washington has returned 400 ventilators to the strategic national stockpile.April 5: President Trump announced that 1.67 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 5: President Trump announced that the government has stockpiled 29 million doses of HydroxychloroquineApril 5: Dr. Birx announced that testing in the New York metro area, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Washington has exceeded the testing rate of Spain and ItalyApril 5: Adm. Polowczyk announced that three Project Airbridge flights of medical supplies landed across the US today carrying:1 million gowns2.8 million surgical masks11.8 million glovesApril 5: Adm. Polowczyk spoke to top health officials from states severely impacted by the coronavirus to discuss the supply chain.April 5: Secretary Wilkie announced that the VA is making 1,500 beds available at VA hospitals to help states and localities across the country.April 5: Vice President Pence spoke to governors from states severely impacted by the coronavirus, including Michigan, Louisiana, and Illinois.April 5: FEMA and The Army Corps of Engineers completed renovations at the McCormick Place Pavilion in Chicago, providing an additional 500 hospital beds for the cityApril 6: President Trump announced an agreement with 3M to produce and import 55.5 million N95 masks each month for the next three months.April 6: President Trump held a call with CEOs from pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies to discuss potential coronavirus therapeutics.April 6: President Trump had a “very friendly” phone call with former Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the coronavirus.April 6: President Trump announced that 1.79 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 6: President Trump approved Governor Murphy’s request to allow New Jersey patients aboard the USNS Comfort.April 6: President Trump approved Governor Cuomo’s request to allow the treatment of coronavirus patients on the USNS Comfort.April 6: President Trump announced that CVS will open two new drive-thru coronavirus testing sites in Georgia and Rhode Island. Both will use Abbott’s rapid coronavirus test.April 6: President Trump announced that the FDA authorized Inovio’s potential coronavirus vaccine for a clinical trial, wile 10 potential coronavirus therapeutic agents are in “active trials” with another 15 potential therapeutics in plans for clinical trials.April 6: President Trump praised the work of the private sector, including Apple and Salesforce, who have agreed to donate personal protective equipment to help defeat the coronavirus.April 6: President Trump announced that The Army Corps of Engineers is building 22 field hospitals and alternative care sites in 18 states.April 6: President Trump announced that 8,450 hospital beds and 8,000 ventilators have been deployed across the country from federal stockpiles.April 6: Vice President Pence announced that to date $4.1 billion has been allocated to states under federal disaster declarations.April 6: Vice President Pence announced that 21,000 National Guard Servicemen have been activated across the country to assist in the fight against coronavirus.April 6: VP Pence announced that thanks to California’s donation of 500 ventilators, the federal government will send:200 ventilators to MD100 ventilators to DE100 ventilators to NV50 ventilators to DC50 ventilators to Guam & the Northern Mariana IslandsApil 6: The CDC began publishing a new, data-centered coronavirus surveillance report on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).April 6: HHS announced an additional $186 million in CDC funding for state and local jurisdictions combatting the coronavirus.April 6: HHS announced it will be purchasing 15-minute coronavirus tests from Abbott for state, territorial, and tribal labs and for the Strategic National Stockpile.April 6: The Department of Education announced a streamlined process making it easier for states to use federal education funding for distance learning during the coronavirus outbreak.April 7: President Trump participated in a conference call with banking executives to discuss how to best deliver financial aid and technical assistance to small businesses.April 7: President Trump announced the SBA has processed “more than $70 billion” in loans to help small businesses as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.April 7: President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Minnesota related to the coronavirus outbreak.April 7: President Trump announced that in addition to the 8,675 ventilators in the strategic national stockpile, the federal government will be acquiring 110,000 ventilators in the next three months to be distributed to states in need.April 7: President Trump announced that 1.87 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 7: President Trump announced his intent to ask Congress for an additional $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to loan to small businesses.April 7: Vice President Pence participated in a conference call with over 500 business owners to discuss their needs amid the coronavirus response effort.April 7: CMS Administrator Verma announced that CMS will make available an additional $30 billion in grants this week for health care organizations with increased operating costs due to the coronavirus.April 7: The State Department announced an additional $225 million in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus around the world.April 7: As part of Project Airbridge, UPS and FEMA began shipments of 25 flights with more than three million pounds of medical supplies.April 7: The Department of Transportation finalized a requirement that airlines who receive assistance under the CARES Act continue flights to destinations they were serving before the outbreak, ensuring commercial flights are available.April 7: The EPA distributed over 1,100 N95 masks to the California Office of Emergency Services.April 8: President Trump spoke to over 10,000 faith leaders & more than 3,000 state, local, and tribal officials to discuss the coronavirus response effort.April 8: Secretary Pompeo announced that since January, over 50,000 Americans have been repatriated by 90 countries in over 480 flights.April 8: Under the DPA, HHS announced a $646.7M contract with Philips to produce 2,500 ventilators for the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of May, and a total of 43,000 by December.April 8: President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Vermont related to the coronavirus outbreak.April 8: President Trump announced that a Project Airbridge shipment of protective gowns landed in Dallas, Texas.April 8: President Trump announced that 10 drugs to potentially be used against the coronavirus are currently in clinical trial.April 8: President Trump thanked Indian PM Modi for allowing a shipment of the life-saving drug hydroxychloroquine to be released to the U.S.April 8: Vice President Pence announced:$98B in forgivable loans were disbursed through the Paycheck Protection Program27,000 National Guard service members were activated across the country to assist in the coronavirus responseApril 8: The CDC issued new guidance for how essential and critical workers who have been exposed to the coronavirus can return to work, with precautions.April 8: Four additional flights as part of Project Airbridge landed across the country, delivering PPE and other medical supplies.April 8: Customs and Borders Protection announced with FEMA that it will detain shipments of PPE in order to keep critical medical supplies within the U.S. for domestic use.April 8: HHS announced an agreement with DuPont and FedEx to rapidly manufacture and deliver 2.25M new Tyvek Protective Suits to the Strategic National Stockpile over the next five weeks.April 8: HHS expanded telehealth services for Native Americans through The Indian Health Service.April 8: HHS authorized pharmacists to order and administer coronavirus tests, further expanding the availability of testing.April 8: HHS awarded $1.3B from the CARES Act to 1,387 health centers in all 50 states, 8 territories, and the District of Columbia to fight coronavirus.April 8: CMS issued updated guidance based on CDC guidelines to protect patients and health care workers in hospitals from the coronavirus.April 8: The USDA announced its approval of Arizona's & California’s request for food stamp recipients to purchase food online, allowing these recipients to purchase groceries for delivery.April 8: The VA announced that it has begun using funding from the CARES Act to pay overtime, hire new staff, and purchase supplies including PPE, beds, and pharmaceuticals.April 9: President Trump spoke with mental health advocates from across the country to discuss their work amid the coronavirus outbreak.April 9: President Trump approved major disaster declarations related to the coronavirus outbreak for:AlaskaIdahoApril 9: President Trump announced that 24 Project Airbridge flights have been completed to date, with an additional 49 flights scheduled.April 9: President Trump announced that there are currently 19 potential coronavirus therapies being tested and another 26 potential therapies in active planning for clinical trials.April 9: President Trump announced that, to date, over 2 million coronavirus tests have been completed.April 9: Vice President Pence announced that $125B in Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans has been approved to date.April 9: Vice President Pence announced that a total of 29,000 National Guard service members have been activated across the country to assist in the coronavirus response.April 9: Vice President Pence announced that to date 4,100 military medical personnel have been deployed to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.April 9: The Treasury Department announced that it extended over 300 tax filing, payment, and administrative deadlines to give relief to taxpayers.April 9: Working with the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve announced new lending programs providing up to $2.3T in loans to businesses and state & local governments.April 9: HHS announced it would relax enforcement of HIPPAA for pharmacies and other organizations that are working at coronavirus testing sites, helping these groups focus on testing.April 9: Secretary of Education DeVos announced that $6.3B in CARES Act funding will be immediately distributed to colleges and universities to provide cash grants to students affected by the coronavirusApril 9: The EPA announced that more than 11,500 pieces of PPE have been transferred to FEMA, which will be later transferred to state and local agencies across New England combating the coronavirus.April 9: The USDA launched the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program in Michigan, which will help feed children eligible for USDA school lunch programs who are now home during the coronavirus outbreak.April 9: The USDA announced relief for farmers across the country by giving borrowers 12 months to repay marketing assistance loans (MAL), helping protect farmers from being forced to sell crops to make loan payments.April 9: CMS temporarily suspended a number of regulations so that hospitals, clinics, and other health care providers can book the number of staff to confront the coronavirusApril 10: President Trump announced that 60 mask sterilization systems, with the ability to clean over 80,000 masks approximately 20 times, will be sent to 10 cities.April 10: President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the global coronavirus response and the global energy market.April 10: President Trump announced that a field hospital in Seattle will be leaving, as Washington State’s coronavirus outbreak becomes more manageable.April 10: President Trump announced that his administration is working to bring blood-based serology tests to market “as quickly as possible” so Americans can determine if they have had the coronavirus.April 10: President Trump announced that he will be establishing an “Opening Our Country Council” with more details coming early next week.April 10: President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to facilitate the supply of medical equipment and other humanitarian relief to Italy.April 10: Dr. Fauci spoke to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon to discuss coronavirus mitigation in those states.April 10: Vice President Pence, CDC Director Redfield, & Surgeon General Adams spoke to over 400 leaders of the African American community, including Jesse Jackson, NAACP representatives, & the National Black Nurses Association to discuss the impact of the coronavirus.April 10: Vice President Pence spoke to Colorado Governor Jared Polis about the specific needs of his state’s battle against the coronavirus.April 10: Vice President Pence announced that more than 2.1M coronavirus tests have been completed to date.April 10: Vice President Pence announced that:29,600 National Guard Troops have been activated4,700 active duty medical personnel have been deployed to nine statesApril 10: Vice President Pence announced that to date, 26 Project Airbridge flights have landed in the U.S. with PPE, with four flights scheduled to land today with 250,000 gowns and 25M pairs of gloves.April 10: HHS began delivering $30B in relief funding to health care providers, part of the $100B allocated to health care providers by the CARES Act.April 10: The FDA approved an emergency authorization for a blood purification device to treat coronavirus patients.April 10: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced $1B for Amtrak to continue rail service and respond to the spread of the coronavirus.April 10: The Treasury Department launched a web portal to help Americans who did not file tax returns receive their coronavirus relief payments under the CARES Act.April 10: The Treasury Department announced it will launch a new “get my payment” app where Americans can enter their direct deposit information to get coronavirus relief payments quicker.April 10: The VA deployed medical staffers to New Orleans to help “surge” personnel in the area, which is currently being heavily impacted by the coronavirus.April 11: President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Wyoming related to the coronavirus outbreak, marking the first time in U.S. history a President has declared that a major disaster exists in all 50 states.April 11: The DoD announced it is using The Defense Production Act to get the private sector to produce 39 million N95 masks within 90 days, a $133M investment.April 11: Three Project Airbridge flights landed in Chicago, Illinois, delivering over 62 million gloves.April 11: The Department of Justice announced it is monitoring state and local social distancing regulations to ensure religious organizations are not unfairly targeted.April 11: The USDA added Florida & Idaho to the food stamp online pilot program, allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food online.April 11: CMS expanded the requirements that private health insurers provide free coronavirus testing, saying that this includes anti-body testing and costs related to coronavirus testing, like emergency room or urgent care visits.April 12: A deal brokered by President Trump was announced between The OPEC countries, Russia, and the U.S. to cut production and stabilize the oil market amid dual disruptions from coronavirus and the price war between Saudi Arabia & Russia.April 12: The FDA issued an emergency authorization to devices from Advanced Sterilization Products, which can decontaminate approximately 4 million N95 respirators each day.April 12: The FBI uncovered an international fraud scheme related to the attempted purchase of 39 million N95 masks by a Service Employees International Union Affiliate.Editor's Note: Want to support Townhall so we can keep telling the truth about China and the virus they unleashed on the world? 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1. IntroductionThe outbreak of coronavirus disease-20191 (COVID-19) has severely affected national and global economies. Various enterprises are facing different issues with a certain degree of losses. Particularly, enterprises are facing a variety of problems such as a decrease in demand, supply chain disruptions, cancelation of export orders, raw material shortage, and transportation disruptions, among others. Nevertheless, it is quite clear that enterprises around the globe are experiencing the significant impact of COVID-19 outbreak on their businesses. We argue that major victims of COVID-19 outbreak are the micro, small & medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) because MSMEs, in comparison to large enterprises, usually do not possess sufficient resources, especially financial and managerial, and are not prepared for such disruptions likely to go longer than expected (Bartik et al., 2020; Prasad et al., 2015). Additionally, these firms are highly dependent on their routine business transactions and a small number of customers (Williams & Schaefer, 2013). Hence, many MSMEs are running out of stock, some hardly continue to operate, and some will be running out of stock soon.MSMEs are the backbone of many economies worldwide that provide income and employment generation to a large number of people around the globe. Similarly, in the case of Pakistan, MSMEs2 are crucial for the economy as they constitute over 90% of the estimated 3.2 million business enterprises and contribute 40% to the GDP with over 40% to export earnings (SBP, 2016; Shah, 2018). These businesses are spread all over Pakistan in rural and urban areas and represent a significant portion of agriculture, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, trade, and service sectors. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns, Pakistani firms are facing unprecedented adverse effects on their businesses.According to a recent report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (UNCTAD, 2020a), Pakistan would be hardest-hit by the global pandemic of COVID-19. Therefore, this justifies the need to examine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on MSMEs operating in Pakistan. Additionally, the ongoing pandemic crisis will severely hamper the operations of these businesses because MSMEs are highly dependent on the cash economy, which has been adversely affected by the pandemic (Williams & Schaefer, 2013). Besides, the unavailability of labors, slowdown of productions, shortage of raw materials, and transportation restrictions will have major ramifications on these businesses. This, in turn, will have a significant impact on the national economy as a whole. Hence, a robust policy response is also essential to offset the negative effects of the current outbreak. Till to date, no study has been conducted to examine the global outbreak's impact on MSMEs operating in Pakistan. Thus, this research aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Pakistani MSMEs. Our study also aims to assist policymakers and practitioners in identifying strategies required to respond to the impact of the ongoing pandemic on MSMEs. Mainly, this study emphasizes to pay more attention to the huge risks brought by external environmental uncertainty to MSMEs and help these enterprises in predicting risks in the early stage of business decision-making and planning, and specify countermeasures.The remaining part of the paper is as follows. Section 2 briefly discusses the impact of the external environmental crisis caused by natural disasters, including floods, earthquakes, and epidemic diseases on commercial enterprises. Section 3 provides a brief overview of the situation of COVID-19 globally and in Pakistan. In Section 4, we discuss the impact of the ongoing outbreak on global and Pakistani economy. Section 5 represents the methodology adopted in this study. Section 6 is dedicated to discussing the findings of the study, followed by policy recommendations in Section 7. Finally, Section 8 discusses the conclusions.2. Impact of external environmental crisis on MSMEsMany external environmental crises had occurred in the past that have severely affected MSMEs globally such as 1953 great floods in Holland, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, 2011 floods in Thailand, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, 2011 Japan Tsunami, and Hurricane Harvey 2017 among others. Further, besides COVID-19, many epidemic outbreaks had occurred globally such as SARS, MERS, Swine flu pandemic (2009 H1N1), 2014 Ebola outbreak, Avian influenza, Salmonella Infantis outbreak, ZIKA outbreak among others (Auzzir et al., 2018; Eggers, 2020; Kim et al., 2020). These crises have a significant impact on the society, economy and MSMEs; moreover, these events not only cause economic losses but also create a severe threat to business continuity. Further, Prasad et al. (2015) argue that due to natural disasters, the disruption of supply chain occurs globally, and in case of significant disruptions, the MSMEs enterprises are adversely affected even if they are not directly affected by a disaster.External environmental crisis such as earthquake, flood, epidemic diseases and other issues adversely affects business activities and their survival (Asgary et al., 2020; Eggers, 2020; Prasad et al., 2015; Samantha, 2018). Moreover, since MSMEs are financially fragile, smaller in size and resources, they are more vulnerable to the environmental crisis than their counterparts, i.e. large enterprises (Asgary et al., 2020; Bartik et al., 2020; Eggers, 2020; Prasad et al., 2015; Samantha, 2018; Williams & Schaefer, 2013). The external environmental crisis can affect MSMEs directly or indirectly. The direct impact includes fatalities, supply chain disruptions, property damage, and loss of inventories. In contrast, the indirect effect includes damage to public infrastructure such as electricity supply, communication and transportation system, and roads leading to increase in production cost and even business discontinuity (Asgary et al., 2020; Eggers, 2020; Hallegatte, 2015; Samantha, 2018; World Trade Organization, 2019). According to the World Trade Organization (2019), since 1998 to 2017, the number of natural disasters has increased tremendously. During the above period, a total of $2.9 trillion direct economic losses have been reported by disaster-hit countries. Further, concerning disaster loss statistics from 1998 to 2017, the U.S. is the most affected ($945 billion) followed by China, Japan, the European Union, India (World Trade Organization, 2019) and Pakistan (Ahmad & Afzal, 2020; Ahmad & Ma, 2020; Hussain et al., 2019).Several studies have reported devastating effects of such events on MSMEs. For instance, the 1999 earthquake in Turkey severely affected MSMEs with damages estimated $1.1–4.5 billion (Asgary et al., 2020). Similarly, the 2011 flooding in Thailand affected at least 557,637 enterprises, along with 2.5 million job losses, and 90% of these firms were MSMEs (Auzzir et al., 2018). Likewise, in Malaysia, due to unprecedented flooding at the end of 2014, more than 13,000 SMEs were affected (Auzzir et al., 2018). Further, Samantha (2018) reported that in May 2016, a tropical storm severely hit western parts of Sri Lanka, which causes huge damage to society, public property and MSMEs. Many developed countries have also experienced similar disastrous effects on MSMEs. For instance, SMEs in the U.K. during the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, suffered from huge losses, particularly, the non-farming losses were estimated to be 5 billion pounds (for further details, see Bennett & Phillipson, 2004).In a similar vein, Pakistan has also experienced such a devastating crisis caused by external environmental disasters. For instance, floods in 2010 affected not only public and private property but also crops with a loss of $4.5 billion (World Trade Organization, 2019). Pakistan has also witnessed several similar crises in past such as climate change, 2005 and 2008 earthquakes, droughts in 1998 and 2004, etc. (Ahmad & Afzal, 2020; Ahmad & Ma, 2020; Hussain et al., 2019). Moreover, recently in 2015, nearly all main types of natural disasters such as earthquake, drought, flood, heatwave, and cyclone, were faced by Pakistan (Hussain et al., 2019) that severely affected many businesses.Further, several businesses, due to their small size and resources constraints do not reach to the post-disaster stage (Samantha, 2018). Moreover, due to the lack of sufficient governmental support, most MSMEs face financial decline and even go bankrupt. MSMEs have limited capability and resources to recover from such crisis, especially those operating in developing countries like Pakistan with high poverty rate, economic and political instability. Therefore, this study moved its foundation to examine the impact of COVID-19 and suggest policy recommendations for the survival of MSMEs in Pakistan.3. Situation of COVID-19 globally and in PakistanAt the end of December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology was reported, later the cases were proved to be caused by a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which spread very rapidly (WHO, 2020b). World Health Organization (WHO) soon realized the severity of the situation and declared a “public health emergency of international concern” on 30 January 2020 (WHO, 2020d). Within a short period, the reported cases grew exponentially all over the world; as a result, the WHO declared COVID-19 a “pandemic” on March 11, 2020 (WHO, 2020c). Still, after more than six months, the number of confirmed and death cases are growing rapidly globally. As of July 19, 2020, WHO reported 14,043,176 confirmed cases in 216 countries with 597,583 deaths (WHO, 2020a).The first case of COVID-19 in Pakistan was reported on February 26, 2020. From March 15, 2020, the number of confirmed cases has started rising rapidly due to the arrival of pilgrimage from Iran through Taftan Border. Moreover, the announcement and enforcement of lockdown in Pakistan was made in less than a day, creating turmoil as migrants3 rushed to return to their hometowns, thereby aggravating crowding and preventing social distance impossible (World Bank, 2020b). Further, from March 15–25, 2020, the cases jumped from 53 to 1078 (DAWN, 2020). Since then, the cases are growing exponentially day-by-day in different parts of the country. As of July 20, 2020, a total of 265,083 confirmed cases have been reported in Pakistan, out of which 5599 individuals have died so far (COVID-PAK, 2020). The current data shows that 42.63% (113,007) of confirmed cases are reported in Sindh province alone followed by Punjab province with 34.02% (90,191). Fig. 1 represents the province wise confirmed cases in Pakistan.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 1. Province wise confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan.4. Impact of COVID-19 on economy and MSMEs4.1. Impact of COVID-19 on the global economyThe impact of the disease on society and economy can be witnessed from the lockdown of cities all over the world, labor mobility restrictions, travel bans, airline suspensions, and most importantly slowdown of the economy. COVID-19 crisis went global from February 21 to March 24, 2020 and still the number of cases is growing rapidly every day. It is predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak will have major ramifications for global GDP growth (Word Economic, 2020). Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the global GDP is likely to be affected between 2.3% to 4.8% (ADB, 2020). Additionally, it has also been predicted that the current pandemic outbreak may cause global foreign direct investment to shrink by 5%–15% (UNCTAD, 2020b). Further, according to the UNCTAD report, the world needs a support package of up to $2.5 trillion to cope with the damage (UNCTAD, 2020a). Hence, based on these statistics, the current global crisis will likely be worse than the 2008 crisis (UNCTAD, 2020a).Further, according to International Labor Organization (ILO), almost 25 million people around the globe could lose their jobs (loss of workers' income of as much as USD 3.4 trillion) (ILO, 2020c). A more recent report of ILO shows that lockdowns (full or partial) measures are influencing 81% (around 2.7 billion workers) of the total global workers (ILO, 2020b). “It is the worst global crisis since the Second World War” (ILO, 2020b). Estimates suggest the U.S. would lose three million jobs by mid-summer in 2020, the trend in Europe and other parts of the world will be similar (Siddiqui, 2020). According to ILO the impact of COVID-19 on the economic output of accommodation and food services, real estate, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles is ‘high’, while utilities, public administration and defense, social work activities, human health, and education is ‘low’4 (ILO, 2020b).COVID-19 will have a more profound effect in developing countries that will make it much more difficult for them to implement effective stimulus without facing binding foreign exchange constraints (UNCTAD, 2020a). Most vulnerable countries are those that have weak health infrastructure, heavily dependent on trade and tourism sectors, heavily indebted, and that depend on unstable capital flows (World Bank, 2020a). Controlling the COVID-19 outbreak will revive the economy, but the risk of continued financial stress is very high even after 2020 (World Bank, 2020a). Further, it has also been estimated that poverty is likely to increase by around 11 million people (World Bank, 2020a). Although the economic impact of the outbreak is continuing and is increasingly unpredictable, it is clear that the situation in developing economies will get worse before it gets better (UNCTAD, 2020a). According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), income losses in developing countries are likely to exceed $220 billion (UNDP, 2020b). In addition, World Bank in its recent report has predicted that South Asia could face its worst economic performance in 40 years with half of the countries falling into a deep recession (World Bank, 2020b). This is the case, particularly for Pakistan.4.2. Impact of COVID-19 on Pakistani economy and MSMEsIt has been reported that Pakistan has lost one-third of its revenue and exports dropped by 50% due to COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown (Junaidi, 2020). Economists warn of recession amid virus lockdowns in Pakistan (Naqvi, 2020). Similarly, the World Bank also warns that Pakistan might fall into a recession (World Bank, 2020b). Due to the ongoing crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan's real GDP growth in FY20 is expected to contract by 1.3% as national and global economic activity slowdowns abruptly during the last few months of the fiscal year (World Bank, 2020b). Further, in case the outbreak of COVID-19 deteriorates and continues longer than expected, Pakistan's real GDP growth for FY20 may contract by 2.2% before just recovering to 0.3% growth in FY21 (World Bank, 2020b).The biggest and most immediate impact of the lockdown is the halt in business operations. Lockdown was first announced in Sindh province from March 23, 2020. Karachi—the capital city of Sindh province—is considered as the country's largest industrial zone accounted for 30% of total exports. Due to lockdown, out of 2700 factories in Karachi less than 50 were operating on the first working day (Hussain, 2020). Further, Hussain (2020) reported that there are around 05 million people in Pakistan who live just at or below the subsistence line, while there are the masses of largely unskilled or low-skilled people (such as labors, waste recyclers, construction workers, transport workers, and domestic workers) who work in different industries, services, and agriculture, and rely on daily wages to meet their needs. According to the author, around 04 million people are working on a daily wage basis in Karachi alone, besides, it is estimated that around 04 million individuals are also working in Punjab province. These daily wagers have been hardest hit by the lockdowns.After them, there is a class of micro-enterprises (also known as self-employed persons) such as small shop owners, household businesses, and street vendors, among others, who heavily rely on their micro business. These businesses are usually operated by family members in different industries ranging from agriculture to education. Further, these micro-enterprises are considered a part of the informal economy,5 and most of their activity is undocumented. Hence, the accurate number of these businesses is not known. According to the recently available statistics, the micro-enterprises or self-employed persons are accounted for 35.7% (2017–18) of the total national employment (Sohail, 2019, p. 7). Furthermore, 55.6% (2017–18) of these businesses are vulnerable, out of which, more than 87% of employment in agriculture, three-fourths of jobs in wholesale and retail trade, 50% of employment in restaurants, three-fifths of the job in real estate and business, and more than two-fifths of employment in transport and communication is vulnerable (Sohail, 2019, pp. 10–12). For further details about sector wise vulnerability of micro-enterprises (self-employed persons), see Fig. 2. From the above statistics, one can quickly get an idea about the severity of the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak had on micro-enterprises.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 2. Sector-wise distribution of vulnerable employment in micro-enterprises (self-employed persons).Source: Created by authors based on the Pakistan Employment Trends report (Sohail, 2019).After them come the small and medium-sized enterprises. Many small and medium-sized enterprises are also facing huge issues. For instance, the textile and apparel industry has been affected mainly due to the imposition of lockdown. 54% of Pakistan's manufacturing sector exports are beverages, food, tobacco sub-sectors and textile, a reduction in export demand for these sectors will have a disproportionate impact on Pakistan (World Bank, 2020b). In the same way, the agriculture sector is no exception. For instance, wheat crop harvesting usually began in Sindh and southern Punjab provinces in late March until mid of June. Due to the non-availability of labor and transport, this sector also faced several issues. Similarly, in the case of the transport industry, many drivers of local transportation, including bus, taxi, and rickshaw, have been sent home. The closure of businesses and disruption of national supply chains are having a significant impact on the retail and wholesale, transport, warehousing, and communications services (World Bank, 2020b).Likewise, the situation of other industries is no different. Most importantly, during the holy month of Ramadan, many sectors such as clothing, saloons, food, electronics, and shoes, among others, were severely affected. These small and medium businesses are expected to face liquidity issues and hard hit by the ongoing crisis. Additionally, those firms that are still operating their businesses are facing extra cost to buy masks, gloves, and sanitizers, among others in terms of managing the health and safety of employees. Further, amid of COVID-19, Pakistan's currency has been devalued, which poses another threat for the businesses. According to a recent report of the World Bank, Pakistan's exchange rate that remained relatively stable in the fiscal year-20 from June to February has been devalued by 7.3% in March (World Bank, 2020b).According to the Pakistan Labor Force Survey (2017–18), the unemployment rate in the country is 5.8% (Sohail, 2018). However, due to the ongoing crisis and lockdown, the unemployment rate is expected to reach 8.1% during the fiscal year 2020–21 (Siddiqui, 2020). The above discussion indicates that Pakistan will suffer disproportionately. The impact of coronavirus on the global and Pakistani economy will leave deep scars. Therefore, it is extremely important to empirically assess the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on MSMEs to assist policymakers and practitioners to streamline their strategies to help these businesses survive from the ongoing crisis.5. MethodologyWe adopted an exploratory methodology with extensively reviewing the available literature, including policy documents, research papers, and reports in the relevant field. Further, to add empirical evidence, we collected data from micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operating in Pakistan. The data were collected by administering an online questionnaire due to various reasons including time and financial constraints, and most importantly, due to COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns. Many researchers also adopted a similar approach and found it useful as well as time and cost-saving (Duarte Alonso et al., 2018; Kühne et al., 2010). To increase the response rate, it was decided to utilize the personal and professional network of researchers. We reached out to potential enterprises through a variety of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and LinkedIn, including e-mails, and invited them to participate in the online survey. Complete confidentiality was assured to all the respondents so that a large number of enterprises can participate in the survey. The questionnaire was comprised of a total number of 17 questions. The survey included several questions regarding basic information about enterprises and their characteristics (such as size and industry), impact of COVID-19 outbreak on business, decline in sales and profit, survival period, business normalization period, and appeal to the government to ease the burden. Participation in the survey was voluntary and no financial compensation was offered on completion of the survey. Before formally launching the survey, the questionnaire items were pretested among a small sample of business owners to evaluate the clarity and relevance of the questionnaire items to identify and eliminate any potential issues.The data were collected through a snowball sampling technique as it is widely used due to its cost-effectiveness and time-saving benefits (Bo Liu et al., 2014). We collected data during the period from April 09, 2020, to April 21, 2020, through a snowball sampling technique. A total number of 184 MSMEs from different cities of Pakistan participated in the survey and provided their perspective. A descriptive analysis approach was employed for data analysis.5.1. Sample descriptionA vast majority of participants belong to Sindh Province (46.20%) followed by Punjab (13.05%), KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) (9.78%), ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) (9.24%), Gilgit-Baltistan (8.15%), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (7.07%) and Balochistan (6.52%). Around 90% of the respondents are either the owners of MSMEs or working on managerial positions. In terms of annual sales turnover, over 90% of the participating enterprises have below 150 million PKR annual sales turnover. Further, in terms of employment size, the survey results indicate that over 32% of enterprises employ less than 10 employees, while more than 43% have up to 50 employees, whereas around 12% of the participating enterprises reported that they employ up to 100 employees. This ratio shows that majority of the participating enterprises are MSMEs. Further, over 38% of the enterprises do not employ any daily wager, while over 33% of firms have less than 10 daily wages employees. Additionally, more than 13% of firms have up to 20 daily wagers. In addition, over 8% of participating enterprises reported that they employ up to 29 daily wagers. Hence, a large number of employees would have been affected due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The detail of the sample is presented in Table 1.Table 1. Composition of sample.Percentage of participantsDesignation of participantsOwner37.50%Director13.04%Manager24.46%Assistant Manager14.67%Others10.33%ProvinceSindh46.20%Punjab13.04%KPK9.78%Balochistan6.52%Gilgit-Baltistan8.15%Azad Jammu and Kashmir7.07%ICT9.24%Annual sales turnoverUnder 1 million PKR35.33%1–5 million PKR19.02%6–10 million PKR10.87%11–20 million PKR6.52%21–49 million PKR7.07%50–100 million PKR4.89%101–149 million PKR7.07%150–800 million PKR9.24%Total no. of employeesLess than 10 employees32.61%10–50 employees43.48%51–100 employees11.96%101–200 employees7.61%201–249 employees4.35%Daily wages employeesNone38.04%less than 1033.70%11–20 employees13.04%21–29 employees8.15%30–50 employees2.72%51–100 employees1.63%More than 100 employees2.72%Further, in terms of industry distribution, the majority of the sectors represented in the study are: retail and wholesale (27.72%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (10.87%), restaurant and hotel (9.78%), and consumer goods manufacturing (9.78%) (see Fig. 3).Download : Download full-size imageFig. 3. Industry distribution of the sample.6. Findings and discussion6.1. Problems faced by MSMEs due to COVID-19 or lockdownAs expected, the COVID-19 outbreak has a significant impact on MSMEs operating in Pakistan. Over 94.57% of the enterprises under study indicated that their businesses have been affected in some form by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak or due to lockdown, while, 3.26% expressed no impact and 2.17% of enterprises were unsure about the impact. Those enterprises that were either unsure or indicated no effect of COVID-19 outbreak or lockdown on their businesses were excluded from further analysis. After eliminating these responses, the total sample size becomes 174.The results presented in Fig. 4 reveals that most of the participating enterprises have been severely affected due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Notably, over 38% of the participants expressed that they are experiencing a severe impact on their businesses (ranging from 91% to 100%). When asked about the types of issues6 these enterprises are facing amid of COVID-19, the top five reported problems were financial (67.93%), supply chain disruption (47.83%), decrease in demand (44.02%), reduction in sales and profit (38.04%, 41.85% respectively) (see Fig. 5). A recent study conducted by Harvard Business School also reported that due to the current outbreak, many small businesses are financially fragile (Bartik et al., 2020). Moreover, reduction in demand is possibly due to loss of customer or buyer flow. These results imply that most of the MSMEs are vulnerable to financial, supply chain disruptions, and demand constraints aside from other issues.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 4. Degree of the impact of COVID-19 or lockdown on MSMEs.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 5. Various problems faced by MSMEs due to COVID-19 or lockdown.When particularly asked about the expected decline in sales during 2020, three-fourths of the participating enterprises reported that they expect a decrease in sales by over 60%. In terms of profit decline, over two-thirds of enterprises believe that during 2020 their profit will be decreased by more than 60% due to the COVID-19 outbreak (see Fig. 6). Small firms operating in other countries are also facing similar situations. According to a survey conducted by National Small Business Association, 49% of surveyed small businesses are experiencing reduced customer demand, and 33% are experiencing supply chain disruptions, while 20% are experiencing employee absenteeism (NSBA, 2020). These statistics are not surprising since the gravity of the ongoing issue is even worse than the financial crisis of 2008.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 6. MSMEs expecting a decline in sales and profit during 2020 due to COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.6.2. Strategies adopted by MSMEs to tackle the current situationThe enterprises have chosen a different variety of strategies to curb the business crisis. Particularly, 31% of enterprises have shut down the business completely, while 19% have partially closed their businesses, whereas 18% of enterprises are planning to apply for a loan. Moreover, 12% of enterprises are continuing to operate their business. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan, most of the enterprises were instructed to shut down their businesses to contain the spread of the disease. Therefore, many participating enterprises have reported a higher ratio of a business closure. Further, only 4% of participating enterprises expressed that they are planning to change the business line to address the COVID-19 challenge. Additionally, 2% are struggling to work remotely. Working remotely as much as possible is one of the best ways to stay safe and minimize the exposure to get infected. Nevertheless, not all MSMEs have the required resources to adopt such a strategy. In addition, a better and quick way to minimize exposure to the disease is to reduce traveling. The results indicate that 12% of the participants also reported that they have limited traveling (Fig. 7a).Download : Download full-size imageFig. 7. a. How MSMEs are planning to tackle the current situation?b. How MSMEs are planning to tackle Cash flow shortage?During any economic crisis, most of the businesses face a cash-flow shortage; therefore, we asked the participating enterprises to share their strategies to overcome the cash flow shortage. The results show that 43% of the enterprises choose to lay off employees, and 12% preferred to reduce staff salary. Besides, 13% of the responding enterprises plan to shut down the business partially to reduce the cost and manage the cash flow shortage (see Fig. 7b). Considering the gravity of the outbreak, laying off employees and shutdown of many businesses was already expected. A recent study conducted by Harvard Business School also reveals that many small businesses are temporarily closed and have laid off their employees by 40% relative to January (Bartik et al., 2020). These findings indicate that most of the participating enterprises are struggling to survive by various means.When asked about any plan or preparedness to handle such a crisis, over 83% of the participants reported that neither they have any plan nor they are well prepared to handle such a crisis. Only 17% of the enterprises reported that they have a plan to handle the situation. Similarly, a study conducted by the Harvard Global Health Institute regarding the engagement of companies in global health concluded that Fortune 500 companies have minimal engagement in global health as compared to involvement in environmental issues (Horneffer et al., 2020). This highlights that most of the enterprises globally are not well prepared to handle the health crisis caused due to pandemic. There are many examples of natural disasters that have put the national and global economies in recession. Hence, preplanning and preparedness are essential to face future pandemics or other natural disasters. Firms must invest in building a strong crisis management strategy to handle a similar disaster in the future (Gittell et al., 2006; Prasad et al., 2015).6.3. Survival period and time required to get back to normal businessIn terms of survival period during the ongoing outbreak, 32% of enterprises reported that they could survive up to 2 weeks, while 19% of enterprises can survive up to 5 weeks, whereas, around 16% of enterprises expressed that they can be maintained up to 8 weeks. In other words, more than two-thirds of participating enterprises can be maintained up to 8 weeks (around 2 months). Only 2% of participating enterprises reported that under the current condition, they could survive up to 06 months (for further details about the survival period of enterprises, see Fig. 8a). Most of the firms under study are likely to survive up to 02 months only. Similarly, a recent survey regarding the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs operating in the U.S conducted by Senz (2020), shows that 65% of small businesses believe that they cannot survive if the ongoing crisis lasts four months. This means that in case of prolonged lockdowns, there are higher chances that many Pakistani MSMEs could not sustain to survive and will go bankrupt or out of business.Download : Download full-size imageFig. 8. a. Survival period during COVID-19.b. Time required getting back to normal business outbreak or lockdown.When enterprises were asked to estimate (from today when the current outbreak of coronavirus and lockdown are over) the expected time required to get back to regular business, 72% of the enterprises reported that it would take less than 01 month, while 19% of the enterprises expressed that it will take 1–2 months to get back to normal business (see Fig. 8b). As most of the firms under study are micro and small-sized; therefore, once the outbreak and lockdown end, the firms can quickly start their businesses and get back to normal.6.4. Appeal to the government for assistanceWhen asked about the assistance required from the local, provincial and federal government, over 27% of the participating enterprises indicated the need for the provision of loan on the low-interest basis, 24% wants the government to allow them to continue to operate the business, while 23% expressed their interest for the provision of subsidies in utility charges. Besides, over 23% aims to get subsidies on utility charges (Fig. 9).Download : Download full-size imageFig. 9. Assistance needed from local/provincial/federal government.7. Recommendations/suggestions for policymakers and practitionersBased on the findings of this study, we have suggested different policy measures to help MSMEs ease the sufferings. Particularly, our policy measures have been divided into the following four categories:•Protection of employees and information accuracy•Boost economy•Income and employment support for MSMEs•Planning and resilience capability.The protection of employees is very necessary amid of COVID-19 outbreak because the disease is very contagious and deadly. Moreover, in times of heightened tension, information accuracy plays an important role to update the stakeholders about the situation and operation of the business. Due to the outbreak, the Pakistani economy has witnessed an unprecedented slowdown; therefore, the economy must be stimulated by allowing trade to continue (Steiner & Gurría, 2020) to help small businesses survive from the crisis. Furthermore, as our study reveals that most of the MSMEs have been severely affected in terms of income and employment; therefore, they must focus on restructuring their strategies to reduce the economic burden. Additionally, without the assistance of the government, these businesses cannot survive from the crisis. Hence, the government's actions related to supporting MSMEs in terms of income and employment are also necessary. Additionally, building resilience capability and positive social relations are usually regarded as effective strategies for these businesses during disaster times (Gittell et al., 2006; Prasad et al., 2015). Similarly, ILO also suggested that the policy actions must cover the health and safety of workers, economic stimulation, and income and employment support (ILO, 2020a). Therefore, in times of prolonged economic and health crises, the above measures are beneficial for MSMEs to afloat (Fig. 10).Download : Download full-size imageFig. 10. Policy framework.7.1. Protection of employees and information accuracy7.1.1. Health and safety of employees working during the COVID-19 outbreakThe health and safety of workers during the ongoing health crisis is one of the priority areas that MSMEs need to consider. Global evidence shows that the outbreak can be curtailed through preventive measures (MNHS, 2020b) because prevention is better than cure. In this global health crisis, all businesses including MSMEs, must act responsibly and adhere to the national guidelines of social distancing to ensure minimum human contact and hygienic work environment (MNHS, 2020b). Ministry of National Health Services, Government of Pakistan, has already issued several guidelines7 for the health and safety of workers involved in different sectors that must be followed in letter and spirit to contain the spread of the virus in the workplace. Similarly, ILO also suggested that besides economic support, health protection measures for workers, employers, and their families are also necessary; ILO also emphasized the need to introduce and strengthen protective measures in the workplace and the community (ILO, 2020a, p. 7). Occupational safety and health can also be improved through social dialogue between employers, workers, and their representatives (ILO, 2020a).7.1.2. Information accuracy and responsible communicationThanks to the media and internet to be the primary source of pandemic information before its outbreak. However, now the news is spread through social media in addition to traditional news channels. Most of the fake news is spread through social media, and invariably individuals make a personal evaluation of the situation by themselves. As there is a lot of misinformation revolving around us, and people may not be able to sort out all information and make a reasonable judgment, therefore, one has to confirm the real news through multiple sources of information. Before we see the latest news and start to act, we must carefully consider the source of the information. Particularly, firms can play an important role to communicate authentic and reliable information with the relevant stakeholders in a timely manner to avoid any ambiguity. Hence, an effective response to the crisis requires appropriate communication and rapid understanding of the current scenario across different levels of the firm. Moreover, it is also necessary to communicate timely information about the business status (open/closed), working hours of operation, and online/delivery-based options for the customers to reduce confusion and facilitating customer support for local businesses. Further, firms must communicate information related to the health and safety of employees and customers. ILO has also emphasized that accurate, timely, and transparent information is necessary not only for the prevention and treatment of this pandemic but also for the reduction of uncertainty and trust in all economic and social areas, including the workplace (ILO, 2020a). Because a drop or lack of confidence will influence consumer spending and business investment, leading to a slow down and hindering the recovery (ILO, 2020a).7.2. Boost economy7.2.1. Allow trade to continue to operateAnother most essential measure is to allow the trade to continue to operate as much as possible while taking all possible precautionary measures to contain the spread of the disease. This will help to afloat many falling MSMEs and stimulate the economy. Similarly, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also urged governments and business leaders to ensure that lockdowns including temporary restrictions on the movement of local peoples should not hamper the trade, and “borders must be kept open to goods and services” (Steiner & Gurría, 2020). This is particularly important for Pakistan because Pakistan already has a high debt ratio; moreover, due to the devaluation of the currency, the debt ratio is increasing.7.2.2. Home delivery/offline servicesMany enterprises such as restaurants, fast food vendors, bakeries, shopping malls, grocery stores, and other related sectors can focus on providing online ordering services with home deliveries to curtail the business losses and maintain the social distance as much as possible. The relevant enterprises can take benefit from such an opportunity. Additionally, food for health and community workers involved in battling the fight with COVID-19 can also be ordered through local restaurants to help them afloat amid the ongoing crisis.If we take the example of China, there are many Chinese Apps available to order food such as Meituan, Eleme, etc. Even many grocery stores, such as Walmart also started offering home delivery services to survive and ease the business crisis. As in Pakistan, there is no central App to place orders online, the orders can be placed through either telephone, WhatsApp, or Apps wherever available.Some service enterprises can also consider providing home services. For instance, some skilled daily wagers like mechanics can make efforts to survive by offering home services. It has been reported that a motorbike mechanic, who was hard hit due to the shutdown of businesses, is now offering motorbike repair services at home and his business is also booming (for further details see Khan, 2020). Although not all types of repair/maintenance can be done at home, many minor repair and maintenance work can be done without the need of going to the workshop.7.2.3. Online bankingOnline banking can help MSMEs to continue to operate their business transaction without any physical contact. Take the example of China, most of the local small business transactions in China takes place through the two most popular social media Apps known as WeChat and AliPay. These Apps usually do not charge any fee from both the sender and receiver. To encourage local people and businesses to use online banking, there is a need to offer some incentives to users besides cutting the online fund transfer charges. As in Pakistan, very few people use online banking, hence there is a need to spread awareness about such a facility. This, in turn, will allow enterprises to not only save transaction costs but also speed up the transaction process.7.3. Income and employment support for MSMEs7.3.1. Financial assistance and other subsidiesAs our findings reveal that 67.93% of the enterprises are facing financial issues, hence, the government must consider providing loans to these businesses to combat the ongoing crisis. These businesses may not survive during the ongoing crisis without the support of government authorities. Local, provincial, and national authorities can consider providing disaster assistance loans for enterprises impacted by COVID-19. Such loans could be similar to those that are offered during other disasters beyond control such as earthquakes, floods, and other disruptive events to make these businesses more resilient to the disease-related economic disruptions. Such loans can be offered at low interest with long-term repayments to maintain payment affordability. Additionally, there is a need to increase the loan limit allowed to MSMEs. The avenues opened for MSMEs for additional borrowings with lower interest rates may bring high hopes for the survival of these businesses amid ongoing economic crises. Besides, the repayment of loans can also be extended for a longer time to ease the burden. Similar policies have also been implemented by central banks of various countries around the globe such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.K., and the U.S., among others (ILO, 2020a). Further, according to ILO, “Italy has introduced […] extensions of deadlines for repayment of mortgages” (ILO, 2020a).Although the facility of low-interest loans is very helpful for firms to afloat, many enterprises may not be willing to apply for such loans due to distrust in the government and anticipated issues with accessing the funds as pointed out by Senz (2020). Another study also reported that many businesses are reluctant to apply for funding because of concerns about administrative complexity, application hassle, and eligibility (Bartik et al., 2020). Hence, there is a need to spread more awareness besides removing the barriers to accessing government funds.i. Payroll overdraftsAllowing payroll overdrafts to MSMEs will also be helpful to keep butter and bread on the table of many workers. Several countries around the globe have initiated similar programs to boost the economy and help small firms to survive through the crisis. For instance, the U.K. has announced a system for 80% of the loan value for small businesses on lending and overdrafts (ILO, 2020a).ii. Unemployment benefitsMany businesses have already laid off their staff. In case of a prolonged lockdown, there are higher chances that other businesses will also lay off their employees and will no longer pay the wages/salaries to employees without performing duties. In this situation, the government must consider adopting unemployment benefits for the persons who lost their job or went bankrupt due to COVID-19 or lockdown. Many countries have already adopted similar policies, for instance, the Philippines introduced Social Security Scheme to pay unemployment benefits to around 30,000 to 60,000 workers estimated to lose their jobs due to business closures or layoffs (ILO, 2020a).iii. Concession or suspension of commercial property rentsMany small business owners do not own the shop they run, hence, during the lockdown period, they are still required to pay the rent, which poses a financial burden on the small business owners. Therefore, property owners may be suggested to either provide concession or suspend the commercial property rents for at least three–four months since the date lockdown was enforced. China also implemented relevant policies to help small businesses survive from the ongoing crisis.iv. Other subsidiesFurthermore, local authorities can also help MSMEs to reduce financial burdens by providing subsidies in business-related utility charges such as electricity, water, natural gas, etc. In addition, the highway toll taxes can also be exempted/reduced to ease the financial burden of transportation enterprises.In line with the above suggestions, it has also been argued that MSMEs should be provided support through financial and tax relief to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 (ILO, 2020a). Financial assistance and other related subsidies will help to reduce job losses and business survival.7.3.2. Telecommuting and flexible workingDue to technological advancement, now we have the technology that allows employees to work from their homes and avoid physical contact. The firms that have such technology should prefer to adopt it as much as possible. Such a strategy will also help firms to reduce several direct costs involved in the physical office working such as property cost, utility, management, etc. which will also improve the resources efficiency. By adopting virtual operations, MSMEs not only can succeed to prevent and control the spread of disease within their work environment but also promote self-management ability among employees (Drucker, 2001).Although not all firms have such high technology and resources to operate business virtually, firms should prefer to reduce physical activities wherever possible to avoid physical contact. For instance, face-to-face meetings can be replaced with teleconferencing. Those firms that are unable to use virtual operations can also prefer their employees to choose flexible timing. Notably, employees can be advised to choose a different and flexible schedule to avoid the crowd and reduce physical contact as much as possible. Additionally, employees should be required to keep a physical distance between each other and avoid physical contact such as shaking hands (ILO, 2020a).Most importantly without provision of uninterrupted broadband services, the telecommuting and other online services, i.e. e-banking, e-commerce, mobile payment etc. will be of no value. Although several local telecom companies are providing different broadband services across Pakistan, there is a need to ensure its uninterrupted availability, especially in rural areas. Therefore, in order to avail online service facilities, it is necessary to ensure the provision of uninterrupted broadband services. This, in turn, requires the provision of appropriate telecommunication infrastructure. Further, multi-stakeholder coordination to avail these services is crucial to enable remote work arrangements and the continuation of commerce.7.3.3. Explore new opportunitiesFirms must closely monitor the situation and look for exploring new markets or offer new products/services to afloat and recover from the crisis. Particularly, firms must think out of the box to offset the negative impact of the outbreak and survive from the crisis. For instance, enterprises in the textile sector can manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) and respirators. Several textile enterprises have already shifted to produce PPE and respirators in other countries such as China (UNDP, 2020a). This will not only help Pakistan in combating with the COVID-19 outbreak by meeting the increasing demand for PPE and respirators but also will help firms to develop new markets. Besides, perfume producers and distilleries can also turn to produce hand sanitizers (Chesbrough, 2020). There is a growing demand for hand sanitizer worldwide, including Pakistan. Mainly, it has been reported that the demand for hand sanitizers has been increased by 500 times in Pakistan (Asif, 2020). Hence, there is a great opportunity for perfume producers and distilleries to grab this opportunity. Further, firms in the educational sector can offer online courses to afloat and enable students to avoid skipping the semester.7.3.4. Cooperation with other firmsCooperation is one of the critical strategies that MSMEs must consider to offset the negative impact of COVID-19 outbreak on their businesses (Shafi, 2020; Shafi, Sarker, & Junrong, 2019; Shafi, Yang, et al., 2019; Yang & Shafi, 2019). Notably, these firms can consider loaning their employees to other firms in need of labor force to avoid layoffs and job losses (Gardner, 2005). As our findings indicate that 43% of the enterprises choose to lay off their employees, mainly, many enterprises have already laid off their employees, while most of the other enterprises will lay off soon. Therefore, employee loaning can be considered an important strategy to avoid layoffs. For instance, due to a surge in online retailing businesses, there is an overwhelming demand for the labor force (Tianyu, 2020). Thus, firms can lend their idle workers to online retailing businesses to prevent layoffs.7.3.5. Social dialogue between employers and workers organizationsThe role of employers/workers organizations is vital to obey the instructions of the government in containing the spread of disease and avoid business losses. Besides, employers'/workers' organizations can also help in disseminating the information and awareness among the workers for their health and safety. Similarly, ILO also acknowledged that “tripartite social dialogue between Governments and Workers' and Employers' organizations is a key tool for developing and implementing sustainable solutions […]” (ILO, 2020a, p. 3). Additionally, to make policy measures effective, it is necessary to create confidence through trust and dialogue.7.4. Planning and resilience capability7.4.1. Preplanning and learning from experiencePreplanning has always been considered a strategic management decision that helps to fight against uncertainties. Therefore, firms that plan to fight against COVID-19 are likely to avoid huge losses, survive, and maintain their businesses. There is a lack of preplanning to handle such a crisis, as evident from the survey response received from participating enterprises. Over 83% of the enterprises expressed that they are neither prepared nor have any plan to manage such a crisis. Hence, there is a need to spread awareness about the importance of preplanning to cope with similar uncertainties. Although the external factors are beyond control, necessary preventive measures and preparation may help to reduce and control the losses. Preplanning not only helps businesses and employees but the economy as a whole to go through the ongoing crisis. Therefore, MSMEs must consider adopting a plan in advance to prevent the major losses caused due to a similar crisis as soon as possible before it is too late. In addition, like any other major crisis, the enterprises can learn from the experience of the crisis itself and use that experience to plan and prepare for the future to mitigate similar unexpected disasters when they come.Furthermore, COVID-19 pandemic has created wake-up call regarding external uncertainty and environmental degradation in the global social and economic development (Lokhandwala & Gautam, 2020; Mahmood et al., 2020; Shakil, Munim, Tasnia, & Sarowar, 2020). Therefore, it is suggested that the local MSMEs, government and society should have relevant positive measures in risk control and response to avoid adverse impact of COVID on the environment.7.4.2. Build resilience capabilityAlthough preplanning is necessary but considering the uncertainty and complexity of the situation, it may not be sufficient. Therefore, enterprises have to make continuous efforts daily to assess the situation and respond accordingly. For this purpose, firms must possess the resilience capability to bounce back. The resilience capability refers to “(a) the maintenance of positive adjustment under challenging conditions, (b) the ability to bounce back from untoward events, and (c) the capacity to maintain desirable functions and outcomes in the midst of strain” (Gittell et al., 2006, p. 303).Usually, small firms lack knowledge about dealing with sudden disruptions. There is a need for these enterprises to build resilience capability to re-establish themselves, in case they are hardly hit by the disaster. Building such capability can help MSMEs to survive from disasters (Prasad et al., 2015). The enterprises having high resilient capability not only can withstand and absorb the effects of environmental disruptions but also respond to disruptions more effectively and make adjustments even under challenging situations (Lengnick-Hall & Beck, 2005).MSMEs can build resilience capability in several ways. However, the most important factors include preparing cognitively for supply chain disruptions, learning from previous experience, and by exploiting several forms of social capital (Prasad et al., 2015). Cognitive preparation includes constant evaluation of the situation and a high level of attentiveness to disruptions by filtering the information. This will enable firms to find the weak points in the supply chains and perform actions immediately to strengthen the weaknesses leading to increased resiliency. Further, learning from prior experiences is very important to build resiliency. Social capital or network ties can also help firms to access scarce resources and improve the efficiency of information diffusion (Adler & Kwon, 2002; Burt, 1992; Prasad et al., 2015; Shafi, 2020; Shafi, Sarker, & Junrong, 2019; Shafi, Yang, et al., 2019; Yang & Shafi, 2019).7.4.3. Encourage positive employee relationships to enhance resilience during crisisA positive relationship is particularly essential when considering how employees and enterprises respond to crises. Good employee relations are considered as one of the important factors for the success of firms during the crisis (Gittell et al., 2006; Shafi, Zoya, Lei, Song, & Sarker, 2020). Many studies have shown that positive social relationships, trust, and employee caring help to achieve higher productivity and bounce back from crisis. For instance, during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the main reason for the resilience of the Southwest airlines was due to the high importance given to building trustful and cooperative relationships with employees and corporate culture (see, Gittell et al., 2006). Hence, instead of considering layoffs, reducing wages, and other employee benefits for short-sighted profits, firms should consider managing positive social relationships with employees (Brooker, 2001). This will create a sense of loyalty and job security and motivate the employees to work with dedication. Additionally, COVID-19 has also created a high level of uncertainty. In the case of COVID-19, although most common symptoms are very clear, in some cases, it has been reported that symptoms may or may not appear even after 14 days, which creates uncertainty among employees to continue to work, or not. Even after controlling the outbreak and no new case reporting does not mean zero risk. Because still after more than six months, experts are not fully aware of the virus. In this situation, positive relations, mutual trust, and cooperation with employees will create a sense of security and loyalty leading to better performance (Gittell et al., 2006; Shafi, Zoya, Lei, Song, & Sarker, 2020).8. ConclusionMSMEs represent over 90% of the national enterprises in Pakistan and contribute 40% to the GDP, with over 40% to export earnings (Shah, 2018). This study was conducted to examine the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on MSMEs operating in Pakistan in order to assist policymakers and practitioners in streamlining the strategies to ease the burden of the current crisis on these businesses. Our findings underline several issues faced by MSMEs due to the current pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, this research provides first systematically collected information about the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on MSMEs in Pakistan and is among only a few studies in the field worldwide.In our survey, we find that due to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns, many MSMEs have been severely affected. Consequently, these businesses are facing a variety of issues such as financial (67.93%), supply chain disruption (47.83%), decrease in demand (44.02%), reduction in sales and profit (38.04%, 41.85% respectively). Moreover, three-fourths of firms expect a decline in sales by more than 60%, while over two-thirds of participating enterprises are expecting a decline in profits by more than 60% during 2020. Furthermore, in order to tackle with the current situation and cover cash flow shortages, many firms are adopting a variety of strategies such as apply for a loan (18%), shut down the business completely and partially to reduce costs (31% and 19% respectively), lay off employees (43%) and reduce staff salary (12%) among others. In addition, more than two-thirds of participating enterprises reported that they could not survive if the lockdown lasts more than 2 months. Further, 72% of participating enterprises believe that it will take less than 1 month to get back to normal from the date lockdown and outbreak ends. Consequently, MSMEs operating in Pakistan will experience a challenging time at least during 2020.Further, micro-enterprises or self-employed persons are more vulnerable to such a crisis. Over 50% of these enterprises were already vulnerable (Sohail, 2019, p. 7). Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and restrictions to shut down the business, the micro-enterprises have been extremely affected. In addition, those firms that have very low cash reserves are vulnerable and may not survive during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to mitigate not only the ongoing crisis but also the long-term effects caused due to COVID-19 or lockdowns.Based on the findings of the study, different policy recommendations were proposed to ease the burden on MSMEs. These include protection of employees and information accuracy, boosting economy, income and employment support for MSMEs, planning, building resilience capability and positive social relations. The findings and policy suggestions of our research are relevant to policymakers that seek to assist MSMEs and to owners and managers of MSMEs that seek guidance in managing their business during hard times. Our suggested policy measures may not be enough to help MSMEs to survive during the current crisis, but these measures would be very constructive to ease the suffering of these businesses during a difficult time.Despite the fact, our research provides insightful theoretical and practical implications concerning the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs, yet some limitations remain in this research that provides room for further research. The sample size of our study was not enough to represent the respective industries. Hence, future research can consider increasing sample size with respective industry representation. Besides, creating social and economic consequences, the outbreak of COVID-19 has created new challenges for the protection of the health and safety of employees and customers along with new workplace operational culture. Hence, future studies can also consider examining these issues to provide more in-depth knowledge about the consequences of the ongoing pandemic on businesses.CRediT authorship contribution statementMohsin Shafi:Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing.Junrong Liu:Funding acquisition, Resources, Methodology.Wenju Ren:Data curation, Formal analysis.Declaration of competing interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.AcknowledgementThis work was supported by the major project of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2020JDR0166).