At a time when safety and security are top of mind for travelers, many are researching what the best option is to ensure they are covered should an emergency happen while on the road or abroad. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused preventative measures such as international flight and port closures to be put into place by local governments in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to these restrictions in place, an American family with a positive COVID-19 traveler faced difficulties returning home. Facing multiple international border crossings in order to make their way home to the United States, there was not much optimism that they could get home any time soon.

With an estimated 30,000 new cases per day, India is the third hardest hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic. India is not only a hot-spot for the virus, but for global business operations as well. Join us next Wednesday, July 22, to hear from regional expert, Zane Wilmans, Managing Director at Protexx Risk Management, Global Guardian CEO, Dale Buckner, and Michael Ballard, Global Guardian Director of Intel on this important topic.

With over 11 million confirmed cases and over 500,000 deaths worldwide, many questions surrounding COVID-19 still remain: Is it safe to reopen the office for business? How do we protect our employees and what should workspaces look like? When can we safely start traveling domestically and internationally?

While many businesses are beginning to bring employees back into the office in a phased approach, the COVID-19 pandemic remains a very active threat. To ensure the proper health and safety employee protocols are implemented, the CDC, WHO and OSHA have all released guidance on how to navigate reopening workplaces. These guidelines focus on a variety of topics, including the importance of social distancing, hygiene protocols, identification and isolation of sick patients, employee trainings, workplace controls, and more.

As lockdown restrictions ease, businesses are slowly starting to return to travel. However, with that comes risks and questions that companies must be prepared to address.

“When greenlighting travel, companies will need to do their homework and assume the potential expense of self-quarantines or rerouted itineraries to get employees home safely. With state and nationwide restrictions changing from week to week, that can add up,” says Mike McGarrity, Vice President for Global Risk Services, in Bloomberg’s recent article “The New Rules of Travel for Road Warriors.”

On 9 June 2020, Global Guardian hosted a special webinar on the upcoming hurricane season, featuring Erik Antons, Former Vice President of Security for Hyatt Hotels, Dale Buckner, Chief Executive Officer, Global Guardian, Mike McGarrity, Vice President of Global Risk Services, Global Guardian, and Andrew Hersh, Head of Critical Infrastructure Practice, Lockton Companies.

Join us for our upcoming webinar: 'One Country, Two Systems: A Special Webinar on the Status of Hong Kong' on Wednesday, June 24 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST.

Planning your “new” summer vacation? “Be brave, but...don't be foolish” says Michael McGarrity, Vice President of Global Risk Services in USA Today’s recent article, "The new reality of vacationing: Don’t be afraid but don’t be overconfident, either." 

Featured in Washington Post's article "What to do when disaster strikes on vacation", Global Guardian's Mike McGarrity provides insight into how to be prepared when it comes to traveling during a pandemic. To read the full article, click here.