Ernst and Young staff told to work from home after a colleague develops COVID-19 symptoms

Staff working on an entire floor of Ernst and Young’s Brisbane office have been evacuated and the offices will undergo “sanitising” procedures amid fears of a potential coronavirus outbreak there.

An entire floor of a leading accounting firm in Brisbane has been evacuated and will undergo “sanitising” procedures after fears a staff member may have the novel coronavirus.

Ernst and Young told staff working on a floor of its Eagle Street office to work from home “until further notice” after an employee reported flu-like symptoms on Wednesday.

The office is near Friday’s nightclub where a 22-year-old man, diagnosed this week with COVID-19, attended multiple times last weekend.

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Aerial images of Brisbane’s CBD.

The Courier-Mail understands the Ernst and Young employee attended Friday’s at a time when the 22-year-old University of Queensland student was also there.

“We have activated our COVID-19 protocols aimed at protecting EY people, clients and communities,” said Ernst and Young’s Oceania talent leader Kate Hillman.

“The impacted individual has contacted Queensland Health and has been tested for COVID-19 and is following all recommended medical advice, including self-quarantine.

“We are informing colleagues based in the same location and additional EY people, clients, suppliers and others who may have come into contact with the individual.

“We have taken the extra precaution of asking staff on the affected floor to work from home until further notice, and we are sanitising the floor.

“We are continuing to monitor this situation.”

Queensland Health has warned clubbers who attended Friday’s Nightclub between 6pm on Friday and 11pm Monday to be alert to symptoms, such as a fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath.

If they fall ill, they have been advised to ring 13 HEALTH, to seek testing for the new virus and to quarantine themselves until the results are known.

People concerned they may have the virus should ring ahead to their general practice, hospital emergency department or pathology testing laboratory before attending so that measures can be put in place to protect other patients and staff.

For more information, phone 13 HEALTH.

Meanwhile, workers at prominent Brisbane law firm HopgoodGanim Lawyers have been told to work from home after a potential coronavirus case there, and a KFC restaurant on Brisbane’s northside has been shut because one of its workers has been confirmed to have COVID-19.

Originally published as Ernst and Young staff told to work from home after a colleague develops COVID-19 symptoms