SCMP closes offices over confirmed Covid-19 case involving freelancer, but pledges to continue publishing both online and print editions
- Newspaper doing thorough cleansing and disinfection after freelancer at Young Post tests positive and is later confirmed as an infected case
- As of Wednesday, all employees will be working from home until further notice
The South China Morning Post has closed its headquarters in Causeway Bay’s Times Square building after a freelancer working in its newsroom tested positive for the coronavirus and was later confirmed as an infected case.
As of Wednesday, all employees will be working from home while offices at both Times Square and South Island Place are shut down until further notice for deep cleansing and disinfection.
Chief executive officer Gary Liu sent a late-night message to staff on Tuesday informing them that it would be business as usual otherwise – the publication’s main online platform would continue to be updated round the clock with the latest news, while its flagship print edition would still hit the news stands daily.
For most staff, it would effectively be a return to work-from-home arrangements that were in place for four weeks after Lunar New Year.
“We place the health and safety of our staff above anything else,” editor-in-chief Tammy Tam said. “We’ve already had a successful trial run working from home, so I’m confident we will continue to deliver the high standard of news coverage that readers have come to expect from the Post, especially during this global public health emergency when it’s so important to keep the public informed about the coronavirus.”
The freelancer was attached to the Young Post team and was last in the office at Times Square on Monday.
She visited a doctor to be tested on Tuesday, and was hospitalised while waiting for conclusive test results. Her case was confirmed close to midnight.
The management is not taking any chances and will keep the offices shut until the end of the week with the possibility of extending the closure.
