Barclays Canary Wharf worker tests positive for coronavirus
A worker in Barclays Canary Wharf offices has tested positive for coronavirus, the bank confirmed today.
In a statement, Barclays said: “We can confirm that a member of our staff based in our London office, five North Colonnade, has tested as positive for covid-19 today. The health and safety of our staff, customers and clients is our top priority and we are providing every support to the member of staff and their family.
“We are working closely with Public Health England (PHE) and other local authorities, and are following their advice.
“The colleague has been in self-quarantine since 9 March, following notification of their potential exposure to the virus. We are undertaking the recommended deep clean and disinfection of their workspace and the surrounding area where the colleague is based, in accordance with PHE guidelines, and are undertaking additional, ongoing deep-cleaning as a precautionary measure.
“We have also identified colleagues and clients who had close contact with our affected colleague, and are advising those colleagues to self-quarantine in line with PHE guidance.
“At this stage, we are operating business as usual; we continue to monitor the situation closely and will take further action as appropriate.”
An employee on the ninth floor of the building which mainly houses Barclays investment bank workers tested positive for coronavirus, the bank said.
In a memo sent to staff today seen by City A.M. the bank said the staff member was notified of the positive test this morning.
The bank said the individual self-quarantined on 9 March when they first suspected a possible exposure.
“We have been working with the individual to understand in as much detail as possible with whom they have interacted, including meetings internally and with clients,” the memo said.
It said that all staff who sit in the immediate vicinity of the individual had been informed and asked to self-quarantine for the next two weeks.
The email said that PHE guidance was that anyone who had one-to-one contact with the individual for a prolonged period and anyone who had been in a group meeting with the person should consider themselves potentially exposed.
The bank said it would keep its building open as normal in line with PHE guidance.
Last week HSBC evacuated part of its Canary Wharf office after one of its research analysts contracted the virus.
Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte also sent home all the staff on one of the floors of its Holborn office last week after one of its staff tested positive for covid-19.
Big banks have begun moving some of their staff out of central London to try and ensure business continuity in the event they have to close trading floors and offices.
JP Morgan has a backup site in Basingstoke, southwest of London, with an alternative building near Blackfriars in the central part of the capital.
Goldman Sachs has been testing a back-up site in Croydon in south London, while Barclays has an office in Northolt, in the city’s northwest, that it plans to use as a back-up.