Confirmed Case of COVID-19 in Goldman Sachs' London Office

The following email was sent to all Goldman Sachs employees in the firm's London office today. 

On Friday evening, we received confirmation that one of our colleagues in Plumtree Court has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual, who is being supported by Wellness, has not been in the office since 9 March, and remains in isolation at home while recovering. We have been preparing for this over the last couple of weeks and we are prepared for the possibility of other cases in the future.

As you are aware, firmwide leadership together with our Wellness experts and the Business Continuity Planning teams have been working on procedures and guidelines as the COVID-19 situation has developed. Since receiving confirmation of this case, we have been in communication with Public Health England and undertaken specialist cleaning of those areas in close contact. As a precaution, the common areas throughout Plumtree Court have also received a specialist cleaning, and enhanced cleaning will continue throughout our offices daily.

The firm has already contacted those who are understood to have had recent close contact with our colleague. All other employees can work as normal on Monday in line with our established BCP strategy. Wellness will continue to review the situation and we will of course update you should anything change.  If you have any concerns about working in the office, please communicate with your manager.

As always, your health and safety remain our top priority. Please read carefully the global firmwide precautionary measures outlined on the COVID-19 website on GSWeb.

Please also be aware of the recently updated government guidelines for UK-based employees:

• The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or high temperature. If you have had these symptoms, however mild, you should self-isolate and do not leave your house for at least 7 days from when your symptoms started. You should not end self-isolation until you have no fever for 48 hours.
• You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation. If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days, contact NHS 111 online.
• For those out of the office for self-isolation, you should contact your manager, stay out of the office and contact Wellness for guidance. You will need to register on the HCM business continuity portal and receive Wellness clearance to return to the office. If you are required to self-isolate and remain out of the office, please refrain from spending time with colleagues and clients outside of the office, and from attending conferences and client events.

In line with firmwide policy, if you are not feeling well, you must stay home even if your symptoms are mild (e.g., scratchy throat, runny nose). Take sick time or work from home until your symptoms have subsided, if you feel well enough to do so. If you are unsure of whether you should come to the office, stay home and call Wellness during business hours. If you live with someone who has symptoms consistent With COVID-19 or a confirmed case (or have knowingly come into contact with a confirmed case), our firmwide policy is that you should contact your manager, stay out of the office and contact Wellness for guidance. You will need to register on the HCM business continuity portal and receive Wellness clearance to return to the office.

We appreciate this is a challenging time for you and your families, and want to remind you that the firm provides resilience support and counselling services globally, including options that are accessible 24 hours a day for our people and their dependents.

If you have further questions, contact EMEA Wellness Exchange.