DBS Bank evacuated 300 staff members from its head office in Singapore, following confirmation of an employee being tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. All the employees have been asked to work from home till further notice.
The Bank’s office is situated in the Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower, where other companies have also been asking their workforces to work from home. The 43rd floor, that has been completely evacuated, houses other banks as well as law firms. Organisations in the area have also set up temperature-screening facilities to identify infection and quarantine the concerned people to control further spread of the virus.
With the health of its employees being top priority, DBS is undertaking a detailed contact tracing with all its staff members and other people who may have come into contact with the infected employee. The office premises are being thoroughly cleaned, and the Bank will also be distributing healthcare packs containing masks, thermometer, sanitiser and Vitamin C. The temperatures of people entering the area are being monitored closely.
Following a warning issued by the Ministry of Manpower, other companies and banks, such OCBC and United Overseas Bank have also been taking preventive measures to check the community transmission of the virus.
About 47 cases of the disease have already been confirmed in Singapore.
Economists at DBS have factored in the virus outbreak in their forecasts for 2020, expecting Singapore’s economic growth to be reduced by about 0.5 percentage points, due to the adverse impact on tourism.
