Businesses across the country have ground to a halt because of the coronavirus outbreak, leaving millions of Americans wondering how they will make their next mortgage payments.

Their lenders may soon say they don’t have to worry — for a while, at least.

A broad group of bankers and other mortgage industry participants is working on a plan to offer a temporary pause in payments on home loans, according to the Housing Policy Council, a trade group that includes Citigroup, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Quicken Loans.

Details were still being decided, but the plan would allow borrowers to stop paying for as long as the public health and economic disruptions lasted, said Ed DeMarco, the chief executive of the council. Once the economy gets going again, borrowers would resume making payments.

Mr. DeMarco said he had been talking with banks, servicers and mortgage bond investors to complete the details of the policy. He said that it was not clear when the plan would be announced, but that the group wanted it in place by April 1.