JLL has shut all three of its offices in London as a precautionary measure, after two of its employees tested positive for Covid-19.
The agency said it has introduced UK-wide remote working from today.
A spokesperson from JLL said: “In addition, following positive cases of Covid-19 in its Warwick Street and City offices, JLL has closed all three of its corporate offices in London as a precautionary measure.
“Both employees are undertaking the recommended period of self-isolation and we wish them a speedy recovery.
“The health of our employees and the people who work in and visit the buildings we occupy remains our top priority. A deep clean of the three London buildings is being undertaken and JLL employees from these offices will work remotely until further notice.”
JLL’s residential agency shops and regional offices remain open.
The news comes as major agencies follow suit in closing their offices, as part of preventative measures.
CBRE closes offices for a week
CBRE has told its employees to work from home as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the UK.
The agent has instructed all UK-based advisory employees at its corporate offices to work from home for a week, beginning today. It will review whether to extend the work-from-home policy on 20 March.
Ciaran Bird, divisional president, advisory services, chief executive UK & Ireland, stated “certain essential staff” will be able to work in its offices where necessary.
Facilities management and property management employees at client sites will continue to provide services from those locations.
He said: “CBRE is accelerating work-from-home plans with our employees and clients’ safety and wellbeing foremost in mind.
“Covid-19 has presented extraordinary challenges that were hard to imagine a few months ago. Please be assured that we are doing everything possible to maintain a level of service you have come to expect from CBRE.”
Avison Young instructs staff to work remotely
Avison Young has also told its employees to work from home for at least two weeks, effective today.
A statement from AY reads: “We are taking this social distancing step to support the World Health Organization’s containment and delay objectives and safeguard the health and wellbeing of our people and our wider communities.
“We remain open for business as usual and will continue to support our clients. Our workforce is fully agile, and we use cloud-based technology to enable our staff to work anywhere at any time.
“We have carried out thorough remote working testing to ensure that our systems and platforms can operate effectively to support our workforce during this time.”
See also: Agents trial office closures to prepare for coronavirus
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