In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China, to be a Public Health Emergency of international concern, and in March, declared it to be a global pandemic.
Like everyone, Mitrais takes COVID-19 very seriously. We are very conscious of our responsibilities to our staff and clients, and have taken immediate steps to mitigate the risks associated with this event.
We stress that, as of today, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Mitrais staff or their families. The average age and fitness of our staff suggests that any symptoms experienced are likely to be mild, but Mitrais is proactively addressing the risks.
Mitrais is always committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment, and we are closely monitoring developments in the region and Indonesian Government advisories. As part of Mitrais’ Workplace Health and Safety Initiative, we have put in place preventive measures, and continue to monitor and respond to recommendations from the WHO. These health measures include monitoring, upgraded office cleaning protocols, increased sanitization and self-quarantine practices. We have established an internal Pandemic Response Team and under their guidance we have refined and communicated our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) with all staff. We have provided hand sanitizer in all our offices and encouraged staff to implement diligently frequent and effective hand washing, covering of mouth and nose with tissue paper when they cough or sneeze, and encourage the use of masks when necessary.
In the interests of proper care, we have implemented body temperature monitoring for staff and visitors arriving at Mitrais offices using contactless thermometers from 3 March. If temperature reading of 37.5°C or above is returned and the person is experiencing any flu-like symptoms, has knowingly been in contact with a confirmed or potentially infected person, or has recently visited a high-risk country, we will require them to self-isolate, working from home for a minimum of 14 days or as otherwise prescribed by a medical specialist. Our Mitrais Pandemic SOP defines clear steps of action in case of any potential outbreak detected in our offices or the surrounding area.
Although there are currently no compulsory steps required in Indonesia, the Indonesian President published advice on 15 March which read “Under the current conditions, it’s time for us to work from home, study from home, and worship at home”. In response, Mitrais’ Pandemic Response Team has activated our preparation to immediately move toward a work-from-home model where possible. Some of our production staff are already operating in this mode, and plans are now in place to expand this to more of our teams imminently. Teams will transition to this mode in close consultation with our clients to ensure continuity of our services.
Our absolute priorities are the health of our staff and visitors, and the uninterrupted provision of Mitrais’ quality services and support to our clients in line with our mantra of Continuous Commitment.
