As organizations respond to the current pandemic, it is essential that they consider a number of ethical concerns. How do issues of personal liberty change in the face of a true healthcare emergency? Do providers have an ethical obligation to stay on post in the face of risk? How should risk be distributed across providers? Can providers be required to practice outside of their areas of expertise in order to increase surge capacity? How should scarce resources such as personal protective equipment, vaccines, and ventilators be distributed? How should standards of care regarding admission, discharge, visitation, and freedom of mobility change when risks are high and resources are limited? What are the ethical stages of disaster preparedness and how should alterations to the standard of care be communicated to the community? The answers to these and many other similar questions must be based on the shared values of a community, and those values should be considered carefully so that the relevant ethical obligations are properly identified and reasonable expectations for behavior are made clear.