Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) has closed its headquarters in Leiden, the Netherlands, in response to measures issued by the Dutch government. In an attempt to slow down and prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Hague has urged all employees to work from home and closed all schools, bars, restaurants and sports clubs until April 6th.

‘Our workforce is our most valuable asset, and by working out of office, we can minimise their risk of infection,’ HMC states.

The company last week performed a test to see if its employees could work from home successfully in case the coronavirus situation would worsen. With the test showing positive results, the company has immediately implemented its work-from-home plan following new and stricter measures from the Dutch government.

Employees will work from home using e-mail, Skype for Business, and other means of communication. As the office will be unstaffed, direct telephones will be unavailable.

The measure will be implemented until further notice. ‘The COVID-19 outbreak is an evolving issue, and we will regularly update and revise our guidelines where necessary,’ Heerema states.

This article first appeared on Project Cargo Journal, a sister publication of SWZ|Maritime.