IN D U ST RY N EW S Additional COVID-19 safety measures have been introduced at all stages of the moving process Moving jobs back on as COVID-19 lockdown measures ease Large sections of the international moving industry have begun a gradual return to work as governments of many countries began to relax measures restricting movement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many relocation businesses that had been paralysed, in part or in full, by lockdowns have been able to resume moving activity, albeit with new safeworking measures implemented to protect staff and customers. These include admin and other office-based employees continuing to work from home and moving staff expected to adhere to new procedures, including wearing masks and gloves, frequent hand washing, disinfecting regimes, and social distancing as far as is possible during jobs. CANADA AND THE US Derek Duffy, President of Canadian Armstrong International in Canada and FIDI Board member, said work volumes had fallen, although clients had initially brought moving dates forward to get ahead of lockdowns, and we also received moves requiring immediate execution, as expats preferred to be in lockdown in their home countries, rather than their host countries. Duffy added that removals shipments caught in transit and needing storage space as travel restrictions hit had offset 10 FF297 JunJul20 pp10-17 Ind News.indd 10 a small amount of the revenue lost from the fall in business. Meanwhile, he added, with clients and their families often confined to their homes, it had been challenging for staff to maintain physical distancing measures. In the US, companies providing moving services for military families must now adhere to strict new measures to protect against the spread of the Moving returns with noticeable changes disease (see box, page 14). Meanwhile, according to the website military.com, around 12,500 military families had been moved by mid-May under exceptions to lockdown conditions. Bill Brill, VP/GM at Texas-based Daryl Flood Relocation & Logistics, said airtravel restrictions had prevented clients from travelling to their assignments and that the company was asking its corporate clients to initiate moves so it could gauge demand for the peak season that it expected ahead. He added that Daryl Flood had expanded into final-mile logistics services for household appliances, which has proved to be remarkably pandemic-proof, as consumers shifted their purchasing dollars towards household appliances during nationwide government stay-athome orders. As part of the logistics and transportation industry, there are many synergies that exist between our industry and the broader market. ASIA Rob Chipman, CEO of Asian Tigers Hong Kong, said that COVID-19 had led to an acceleration of interest in internationally based business executives leaving Hong Kong, as it compounded push factors caused by worsening US/China relations and recent civil unrest. Meanwhile, there WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 01/06/2020 14:38