RBC said an employee in New York tested positive for the coronavirus, adding to a growing list of financial firms reporting cases as the pandemic spreads.
The employee works in the investment banking division of RBC Capital Markets at the Brookfield Place complex in lower Manhattan, said RBC spokeswoman Sanam Heidary. The worker, who tested positive on Monday, and colleagues in close contact with the person are in self-quarantine.
“Upon learning of the case, we took a number of immediate steps to protect the health and safety of our employees,” Heidary said in an emailed statement. “As a precautionary measure, we immediately advised employees who work on the same floor to work from home while we undertook a deep clean of the impacted floor and all common areas.”
It’s the third known coronavirus case for RBC, after two employees at a suburban office west of Toronto were confirmed as having the virus. Those workers have been self-quarantined, and the company told their colleagues on the same floor to stay home until further notice. The Toronto-based bank also disinfected the affected floor and all common areas, including elevators, the cafeteria and washrooms.
Companies around the world are working to keep their businesses running as the highly contagious virus spreads. Financial firms including BlackRock, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Brookfield Asset Management have reported having employees who tested positive for the virus.
Coronavirus cases have surpassed 127,000 globally, with deaths exceeding 4,700. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic and urged governments to step up containment efforts.
