IN D U ST RY N EW S Workplaces in areas most affected by COVID-19 have introduced temperature screening for staff as well as hygiene measures and flexible working EUROPE Movers face up to coronavirus challenges Moving and relocation businesses around the world have felt the impact of the spread of the COVID-19 crisis from its early stages. Those operating in, out of, or through Asia experienced big delays in customs clearance and deliveries, while companies took action to protect staff and reassure customers. In mainland China, Asian Tigers suspended its operations in Wuhan, where the outbreak began, for the foreseeable future and introduced masks and regular temperature checks for all operators and office staff who would have direct contact with customers. It also issued a moratorium on using external contrators for the time being. While the companys other offices and warehouses had returned to work by early March, it said in a statement that, due to staff being unable to return to work as the result of road and public transport closures, the business would be working at only a HONG KONG Asian Tigers Hong Kong CEO and FIDI Board member Rob Chipman said the local market was reeling from the dual effect of COVID-19 and the recent political unrest in the country. Outbound business is extraordinarily busy for this time of the year. Our surveyors are all out, and all our packing crews are fully booked, he said, while inbound business has dried to a trickle. Third country moves controlled by the Hong Kong-based business had also fallen significantly, he added. Early on because we were much closer to the 10 FF296 AprMay20 pp10-13 Ind News.indd 10 small percentage of our usual operational capacity for some time. The Chinese lockdown has produced other challenges for movers, said the company, including the fact that many complexes and apartment building are currently not allowing outside workers and vehicles to enter. Because of its lower capacity and stricter security and hygiene controls, the company introduced an Emergency Pandemic Surcharge, which would apply to all jobs until the situation returned to normal. The scale and impact of this disaster is unprecedented in our industry and special force majeure circumstances must apply, it said. Asian Tigers China said many expats who left China during the new year holidays now wanted their goods packed and shipped overseas without physically returning to the country; and issued instructions to those who wanted to do this. source than almost anyone we took steps to try to protect our business, that other countries are only now coming to grips with, he said. In mid-January we started having many of our employees work from home. The company also issued staff masks and hand sanitisers and put dispensers in office locations, and minimised situations that require employees to gather in a single area. The biggest menace we face is if the virus gets into our operations area, he said. In administration, there is enough overlap to allow one person to cover for another to an extent. But if packers become sick, and because they work in close proximity, the virus would spread rapidly The EU introduced a blanket ban on people entering the region from other countries - initially for 30 days. It then decided to close all borders into the Schengen area and give member states within it permission to temporarily instigate border checks on traffic moving between these countries. There were some essential exemptions from the restrictions, notably for health care workers and frontier workers who commute across EU borders for their jobs. Meanwhile, ports at Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp reported the availability of shipping containers had fallen to a record low. There was a big dip in availability at US ports, while a large surplus was reported in China. The Italian Association of Movers (AITI) issued a statement clarifying that removals were still possible in most parts of the country. This was despite nationwide constraints on the movement of people and limits on commercial activities, and it said that goods were still able to enter and leave affected areas. However, drivers were now required to fill out a form and provide specific documentation when entering them. Many Affiliates across the world implemented government directives to safeguard staff, suppliers and customers, and introduced flexible working and hygiene precautions. Other measures included Russia ordering ships arriving from specific affected regions to be disinfected. and our business would be devastated. Staff morale has taken a hit, he added, but Hong Kong people are famously resilient, so they keep on keeping on. Other effects on the region, said Chipman, have included increased volatility in the price of ocean freight, which was making pricing difficult and in many cases, hammering our margins so while business is up, our margins and profits have not kept pace. As many airlines have cancelled flights, it has also been increasingly difficult to secure freight slots, he said, while increased inspections were leading to delays, impacting negatively on the timing of customers shipments. WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 31/03/2020 08:35