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WARD has been closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and has already taken steps to safeguard the health of our staff, it is also our priority to ensure we continue to supply a high quality of service and product and minimise any disruption to the businesses customer and supplier base.

As the World Health Organisation has now announced that COVID–19 is classed as a pandemic we are writing to advise of the special measures we are undertaking to assist in limiting the spreading of the virus:

1. Our employees have all been supplied with information in relation to hygiene and the importance of regular and thorough hand washing, hand sanitisers have been distributed throughout the business.
2. Our employees have all been made aware to follow government advice should they show any symptom’s that could be connected to COVID-19. We continue to monitor advice given by the UK Government via Public Health England (PHE), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) all updates being shared with our employees. 
3. All international business travel has been postponed. We are also monitoring the holiday destinations of our employees, on return from holiday government policy is being followed appropriate to the holiday destination.
4. Non essential travel and meetings have been postponed or carried out remotely (telephone, skype, video conferencing etc).
5. Mobilisation of home working: IT and Telephony systems have been put in place so office-based staff are able to work from home.
6. Our collection and delivery vehicles are currently running as normal. Our drivers have been advised to follow government guidance on social distancing and to take additional hygiene measures after visiting a site. We have instructed our drivers to minimise the amount of contact they have with people on customers sites and where it is considered safe they are to be loan workers avoiding contact with other members of staff unless necessary.
7.  We have multiple operational sites throughout the UK allowing flexibility should a particular area have an issue and the WARD employee network is cross trained to cover all business activities. Shared resources such as canteens have been temporarily closed and operational staff have been given instruction on the best measures of hygiene and social distancing from other employees wherever possible.

The COVID-19 situation is evolving daily and the Directors at WARD are closely monitoring the situation so that the appropriate advice and protocols can be implemented. The special measures implemented in this continuity plan will be reviewed and may require amending should the impact of the virus become more severe.

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