The COVID-19 pandemic is playing out in ways that even the most rigorous corporate stress test would have likely missed in its scope and severity.

Companies from New Balance and L.L. Bean in New England to Gap in California are contributing to an ever-widening emergency initiative, the likes of which hasn’t been seen for 80 years.

Lower back pain is the second most common reason for a doctor visit, and costs the supply-chain industry around $100 billion per year. One of the leading culprits is the pushing and pulling that occurs in distribution facilities throughout the world.

In the rush to reassure, administrations have stumbled in the rollout of measures, leaving companies from catering to construction confused and increasingly anxious about accessing aid.

These pockets of resistance along the supply chain underscore the balancing act needed to contain the coronavirus and protect workers deemed essential while delivering goods and services.

As millions of people across Europe and the U.S. stay home to avoid the coronavirus, thousands of workers in the energy industry must remain at their posts.

Global warehouses are stuffed with frozen cuts of pork, wheels of cheese and bags of rice. But as the coronavirus snarls logistical operations, the question becomes: How does all that food actually get to people?

After the coronavirus outbreak caused a nationwide shortage of face masks in January, Chinese officials were quick to ensure that Tesla wouldn’t be left without.

At least five workers at Amazon warehouses in Europe have contracted the coronavirus, a sobering development for a company already struggling to deal with a spike in orders from customers hunkering down at home.