KUALA LUMPUR, 24 March 2020 – United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) has this evening been informed by the health authorities that one colleague at our administrative office in Wisma Bumiraya has tested positive with coronavirus (COVID-19). The employee has been admitted for treatment and we are assisting him and his family with all the support he may need during his recovery.
The employee, who in his role has no contact with our customers, was last in the office on 16 March 2020. We have initiated contact tracing and have instructed other colleagues who have come into close contact with him to self-quarantine for 14 days. We will monitor their health and ensure that they seek medical care promptly if they are unwell with flu-like symptoms. We are working closely with the health authorities should further follow-up measures be required.
To ensure the safety of our colleagues and our visitors, we have closed the relevant office at Wisma Bumiraya and we will conduct deep-cleaning and disinfection of the affected office, the entire floor and all common areas including the lifts and the lobby area.
UOB Malaysia reported its first case of COVID-19 on 14 March at its branch in Lebuh Bishop in Penang. Our colleague based at the Lebuh Bishop branch has since made a full recovery and no other colleague who had been in close contact with him has yet tested positive for COVID-19.
UOB Malaysia wishes to reassure our customers, colleagues and members of the community that we are taking all necessary preventive measures to help curb the spread of COVID-19. We have been stepping up the preventive measures we have in place across our premises since January, including carrying out temperature screening across all our branches and increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfection across our premises. Hand sanitisers are also in place for colleagues and visitors to use. We will continue to evaluate our list of preventive measures to ensure the safety of our people and our customers during this time.
We are committed to ensuring social distancing in line with the government’s Movement Control Order (MCO) and we have initiated our business continuity plans. More than 50 per cent of our employees are working from home while others are working staggered hours and across split sites. Customers are also encouraged to use UOB Personal Internet Banking, UOB Business Internet Banking Plus and the UOB Mighty app instead of making physical visits to our branches during the MCO.
We remain committed to doing all we can to help protect the well-being of our colleagues, customers and the broader community in these trying times. Safeguarding the health and safety of our customers and colleagues remains UOB Malaysia’s top priority.