Closed earlier this week ‘out of an abundance of caution’
The Manchester office of Squire Patton Boggs (SPB) was temporarily closed earlier this week after two employees tested positive for COVID-19, it has emerged.
The international law firm decided to close its Spinningfields office on Monday “out of an abundance of caution”, a spokesperson said. It re-opened on Wednesday following a deep clean.
They continued: “Neither individual experienced symptoms while in the office, and have not returned to the office since while they complete the necessary self-isolation period.”
The decision to shut-up shop came after two of the firm’s staff were tested for the virus over the weekend and received positive results while in the office on Monday, RollOnFriday reports.
The spokesperson added:
“The office re-opened on Wednesday and remains, as it was previously, at limited capacity with any employees who visit the office doing so on a managed, voluntary basis and in accordance with the health and safety protocols put in place by the firm. We have been in regular communication to check on the welfare of the individuals and our principal priority remains the health, safety and welfare of all of our people.”
News of the double dose of COVID comes as law firms across the country tentatively reopen their doors to lawyers and support staff.
Some outfits have implemented phased returns and split team arrangements alongside safety measures including onsite ‘track and trace’ systems, temperature testing and one-way walking routes. As reported by Legal Cheek, one firm has even gone as far as erecting a series of tent isolation booths to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
SPB isn’t the only firm to suffer a COVID-related incident this week. It emerged on Wednesday that the offices of a law firm in Bolton had been temporarily closed by council bigwigs after it was linked to 18 cases of the virus.