COVID-19 pandemic effect to suuply chain

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted end to-end GSC activities, especially medical and food supplies. Thus, the integrity and stability of the value chain (VC) have been compromised. The global media has covered other angles from threats to accusations and even intercepting shipments, where countries scrutinise anything that enters respective territories, given its right to protect people and avoid catastrophe by all means. Such events have profoundly impacted GSCs The pandemic affected SC activities, operations, processes, and management due to supply disruptions, demand volatility, and government actions to combat the crisis. Factory closures, border restrictions, travel bans, port closures, and suspended transportations interrupted the entire supply network, thus leading to shortages. GSCs connected to China, USA, and Europe were greatly affected and induced spikes in many products in response to panic buying, which, in turn, led to price fluctuations, as supplies became limited. High demand and order congestions from the delays resulted in demand vulnerability and shocks, which impacted both offline and online purchases. Furthermore, complex challenges in addressing the massive demand while maintaining quality and continuity persisted. Many countries acted proactively to protect its people and imposed strict restrictions on movements via lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantining measures in the early parts of this year. The tension and panic from such decisions affected SC operations and performance. Government measures led to the decline in production and considerable contractions in international trade flows.