Around 300 employees of DBS, Singapore's largest bank, vacated the bank's main office at Marina Bay Financial Centre after one of the employees tested positive for coronavirus.
The employees were working on the same floor where the infected employee was stationed. As a precautionary measure, the employees have been asked to work from home, until further notice.
DBS trying to track those who came in contact with the infected worker
In a statement, the bank said while DBS was tracking staff members who were in close contact with the infected staffer, so that they could be informed, it has completed the process of disinfecting the office premises, including the lift, lobbies and toilets. Authorities said the employee was tested positive for the virus on February 11 and they were informed a day later.
In an internal memo issued by the bank, the staff were informed about the confirmed case. "This is indeed unfortunate and we will be providing our colleague and his family every support and guidance during this period. As a precautionary measure, all 300 staff from Level 43 have been evacuated and will work from home for the time being," the memo read.
Adding that the "the health and well-being of our staff are a top priority for us", DBS said it had initiated business continuity plans with employees working from home or split sites.
Virus a grave threat - WHO
With 103 new deaths reported on Tuesday, the virus broke the 1,100-mark. Ever since the outbreak on December 31, 2019, over 43,000 people have been infected by the virus that has now spread to more than two dozen countries. It has been named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.
WHO earlier declared the virus outbreak a global health emergency. It has now found its way to more than two dozen countries. Speaking at the first international conference on combating the virus, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, called COVID-19 a "very grave threat".
"Viruses can have more powerful consequences than any terrorist action. We are not defenceless. If we invest now... we have a realistic chance of stopping this outbreak," he told the scientists attending the two-day international conference to examine the transmission of the deadly virus and vaccines to prevent it.
