New Normal and Business Sustainability in the Age of Global pandemic

Purpose - This study examines the awareness regarding the symptoms of COVID-19 exposures and safety distances strategies whether they were useful to resile the businesses a mid of the pandemic. Besides exploring the awareness and safety distances, the effectiveness of offering free use of protective equipment (mask, hand sanitizer, frequent hand washing, etc.) to the customers for visiting the business centers was also examined. Design/methodology/approach - This study collected 264 survey data in Bangladesh which is one of the most densely populated country and very vulnerable for COVID-19 due to its socio-economic condition. The multiple regression analysis is used to analyze the data. Findings - The findings of the study indicate that the awareness about the symptoms of virus exposures (cough, fever, diarrhea, and weakness) has significant affirmative effects to enhance the public movement for business purposes with the lower possibility to be affected by the virus. The study also indicates that safety distances and protective equipment can mediate the significant positive relationship between the awareness of the disease and the businesses' resilient capacity. Research implications or Originality - COVID-19, as an apprehensive health issue in the current world, has sharpened the uncertainty of the businesses. One essential technique as lockdown, has been followed by almost every country to protect the transmission of the virus even though the scholars criticized it due to the substantial adverse effects on the country's economy. Under this circumstances, this study provides implications to the relevant businesses by assessing the nexus between the safety distances and the proper uses of protective equipment with the business resilient.