HSBC has evacuated parts of its Canary Wharf headquarters after a worker tested positive for coronavirus.
The bank's research department was cleared this morning and will now undergo a deep clean as staff work from home.
The employee is believed to have fallen ill at the weekend after returning from an affected area overseas before receiving the positive test.
It is the first case of COVID-19 in one of London's major financial institutions.
The banking giant employs around 10,000 people at its Canary Wharf headquarters and 40,000 people across the UK.
An HSBC spokesperson said: "We have been informed that one of our employees has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
"We are deep cleaning the floor where our colleague worked and shared areas of the building.
"Colleagues on that floor and others who came into contact with him have been advised to work from home.
"Based on medical and official advice the building remains open and operates as normal.
Yesterday, a member of staff at accountancy firm Deloitte also tested positive for coronavirus and all staff were told to leave the building with immediate effect and work from home.
There have been 90 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK, after three positive tests in Scotland were revealed this morning.
There have been 90 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK, after three positive tests in Scotland were revealed this morning.
Yesterday, 34 new cases were confirmed by the Department of Health - making it the biggest daily spike in the disease to date.
Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England and Wales today said the UK has 'mainly' moved into the second 'Delay' stage of its fight against the virus.
Airlines have canceled more than 200,000 flights as Covid-19 nears pandemic status. Retail outlets at airports across the world have reported a significant drop in foot traffic, resulting in a collapse in sales at duty-free shops.
The Wall Street Journal notes a plunge in global travelers, particularly ones from China, has led to a steep decline of internationalist tourists at major airports. The result, so far, has been devastating, said the Moodie Davitt Report, a travel retail-intelligence service provider, who warned the airport retail industry at major Asian hubs had plunged 60-70% since the virus outbreak began.
"This is the greatest crisis the travel retail sector has faced, worse than [severe acute respiratory syndrome], the two Gulf wars or various financial crises," the report said. "That's largely driven by the fact that the Chinese traveler has become the epicenter of the sector over recent years and many retailers are worryingly reliant on them."
Airports in Singapore and Thailand began to offer rent relief in February to retail outlets for the next 6-12 months. Officials at Hong Kong's airport provided $205 million in assistance for industries directly or indirectly affected by declining air travel.
Twitter users are reporting airports across the world are "empty:"
Meeting family member at Beijing airport. Intl arrivals empty. Am told inspectors in hazmat suits taking passengers off the plane two at a time, they’ve been parked at the arrival gate for an hour now. They are serious about not letting virus take hold in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/jQaA8JCUfB— David Rennie 任大伟 (@DSORennie) March 4, 2020
What to make of the virus and the economy? Here’s O’Hare airport in Chicago tonight at 7pm rush hour ... pic.twitter.com/OzYNWoWLxa— Evan Feigenbaum (@EvanFeigenbaum) March 3, 2020
Dubai AirPort empty #coronavirusus pic.twitter.com/lAcAteZMvg
Supermarkets prepare for FOOD RIOTS over coronavirus
By RORY TINGLE FOR MAILONLINE
British supermarkets are prepared for food riots if panic buying becomes widespread in the worst-cast scenario of a coronavirus pandemic, a retail expert has said.
Former Tesco supply chain director Bruno Monteyne said a major outbreak of the virus would result in 'panic buying, empty shelves and food riots' but that at this stage retailers would revert to 'feed the nation' status to avoid anyone going hungry.
It came as Boris Johnson tried to reassure Britons he would 'keep the country fed' and urged people to refrain from stockpiling essentials as photos circulated of empty shelves in supermarkets.
However, despite the demand on food retailers, it was a different picture elsewhere. High streets and shopping centres were today seen largely deserted as shoppers stayed at home - partly over concerns about catching the disease.
Warehouses typically only hold one to two weeks of stock for non-refrigerated food products and only a few days for perishable goods and bulky items like toilet paper, so panic buying would rapidly lead to shortages.
At this point the industry's crisis-management mode would kicks in, with supermarkets working together to ensure there is enough food to go round, Monteyne said in a report.
Supermarkets would immediately reduce their ranges to stock only essential goods, with the Army called in to guard stores, food depots and trucks and to ensure food is distributed around the country.
'Yes, it will be chaotic (and expect pictures of empty shelves),' he wrote, 'but the industry will reduce complexity to keep the country fed.'
He said Tesco, the country's largest grocer, had regularly practised 'multiday simulation' exercises about what to do in the event of a pandemic, so the industry was well-prepared.
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