The Effects of COVID-19 On The Food Supply Chain As A Result Of Living In Close Quarters

ABSTRACT

An efficient and functional supply chain is essential for economies to prosper. Pandemics, however, have proven to be a global challenge that has disrupted the supply chain's routine operations. Inspired by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper is studies the effects of COVID-19 on the food supply chain as a result of living in close quarters. To determine how much the food supply chain has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we employ an agent-based simulation model, combined with an SEISR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious, Symptomatic, and Recovered) disease model, to quantify the impact on the food supply chain in terms of productivity, disruption time, and the number of sick workers. In relation to how many contacts workers have in a day, five social distance metrics were varied taking into account infection probabilities. A key finding is that social distance practices and the level of contacts that occur at a time along with the level of infection probability define the level of impact the pandemic has on the food supply chain. Essentially it is seen that the pandemic indeed has a disruptive effect on the food supply chain and workers living in close quarters. © 2022 IISE Annual Conference and Expo 2022. All rights reserved.