COVID-19 BP response

As the impact of coronavirus – or COVID19 – touches every corner of the globe, we are working across BP in response to these unprecedented circumstances that our people and communities now faceOur executive support team and other leadership teams are meeting daily to address and respond to the ever-changing conditions in the countries where we operate.

BP is focused on supporting governments’ calls to limit the spread of COVID-19, while ensuring the supplies of energy, fuel and vital petrochemical feedstocks are uninterrupted. 

Our people 

Our first priority will always remain the safety and health of our people. With this in mind, all employees who can are now working from home for the foreseeable future.

Our people involved in, or supporting, critical operations continue at their normal workplace and we have processes in place to help protect them. That includes operating robust protocols for health and pre-mobilization checks, travel and workplace access, social distancing and isolation. 

Addressing those who work on the frontline of BP’s operations and at retail sites around the world, chief executive Bernard Looney says: “Thank you for keeping our operations running safely. It matters to so many people. You are helping to keep the world moving forwards though these most challenging of times.” 

Our customers 

The safety of customers is equally our priority. We want our retail sites to be clean, safe places for people to shop, as well as work.  

We’re following the advice of relevant national health authorities in every country where we operate. We’re increasing our cleaning procedures, encouraging our customers to practise ‘social distancing’ in our shops and forecourts, while also taking precautionary measures such as removing the sale of open food products. 

Our operations 

At every operating site – be it an offshore platform or a petrochemical facility – we have robust business continuity plans in place to make sure we can continue to provide the energy and fuels that the world needs.

At major operational sites, such as our refineries, we have implemented a new ‘team-based’ shift model, where contact between two teams is restricted.

We are currently not experiencing any serious disruption to our operations due to coronavirus and our commitment to our customers and suppliers remains the same.

Our support for communities  

All of us are impacted by the global spread of COVID-19 in some way. BP stands ready to help the communities where our people live and our businesses operate. We’re offering support to governments and partners to see where we can do more. 

• The BP Foundation will donate $2 million USD to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which supports medical professionals and patients worldwide by providing critical aid and supplies. The Solidarity Response Fund also helps track and understand the spread of the COVID-19 virus and supports efforts to develop tests, treatments, and ultimately, a vaccine.
• In the UK, from 21 march, we’re provinding free fuel to  emergency services vehicles during the current crisis. The offer includes charging of electric vehicles through BP Chargemaster.

• BP is offering free delivery of food and convenience goods from many of its UK retail sites to help those who have been advised to minimise social contact. 

We’ll update this thread as we have more to share.

Our industry today

While we all grapple with the impact of COVID-19, BP and the wider energy industry is also managing the impacts of steep falls in commodity prices and stock markets at the same moment. Such volatility is not new; BP is well-practised in taking action to weather the challenges of the external environment.

In a LinkedIn post, CEO Bernard Looney writes: “..To protect the health of our company we are making interventions to reduce capital and operational spending. BP is strong and, importantly, we have navigated challenges like this before. We know what to do.”