DBS Singapore makes 300 staff work from home as one contacts coronavirus

DBS Group Holdings bank in Singapore has asked its 300 staff to leave its head office in the financial district on Wednesday and work from home as a precautionary measure after an employee tested positive for coronavirus.

Singapore has reported 50 coronavirus cases and there is mounting evidence of local transmission. The government has been trying to calm nerves after it raised the virus alert level last week, sparking panic buying of essentials such as rice and toilet paper.

DBS said an employee was tested on Feb. 11 and the bank was informed of the confirmation of coronavirus on Wednesday morning. The bank asked all staff on the floor where the infected person worked at its headquarters at the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) to vacate the premises by the afternoon.

The bank employs more than 5,000 people at MBFC, where it occupies 18 floors in one tower. Employees at the bank told that other floors were unaffected.

Long lines formed this week outside some offices in Singapore’s financial district as employers started taking workers’ temperatures. Some companies, including DBS, are cancelling physical results briefings and holding them via webcasts and teleconferences instead. The government has also cautioned people against shaking hands as a form of greeting.

DBS has confirmed it has activated business continuity plans, with employees working from home or from split sites. It has said staff will also receive a care pack which includes face masks, a thermometer, hand sanitiser and vitamin C.