COVID-19 - how we are operating

As I'm sure you're aware, the government and health authorities have announced stronger measures to stem the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a contagious viral infection that causes mild respiratory illness in most people. Presentation can range from no symptoms to severe illness with potentially life-threatening complications, particularly in people who are vulnerable to infections.Protecting the health of our clients, team and others we deal with through our work is a priority of our business.To this end, our team has been briefed on practices to minimise the risk of contracting the disease and/or passing it along to others.As we each have a part to play, it's important we share this information with you too.In short,

• We continue to offer a face-to-face meeting with your financial adviser (of course paying heed to government regulations regarding social distancing and hygiene measures etc). However as an alternative, you can have your appointment via phone or screen if that's your preference or you are currently self-isolating if you have travelled from overseas recently, or are have been in contact with someone who has travelled overseas or has tested positive for COVID-19.
• If you feel unwell, please do not come to our office. If you have a meeting scheduled, we can offer to do it via screen or telephone instead or alternatively we are more than happy to reschedule to another time.
• We are thoroughly cleaning all meeting areas before and after meetings held at the office.
• Please use the hand sanitiser available in reception before your meeting begins and during any breaks.
• Thoroughly wash your hands after using the bathroom and before and after eating.
• If you need to cough or sneeze, please do so into a tissue, and flush it away after use. And if you don't have a tissue, please cough or sneeze into your elbow or upper arm.
• 'Social distancing' is a new phrase we'll keep on hearing! In practice this means we'll need to spread out as well as we can during meetings and come up with new forms of non-touching greetings (we'll miss the handshakes and hugs).

It seems the measures announced by the government are likely to be in place for six months or more, so the above will become our 'new normal' for now. More information can be found here.On a related point, as we recently wrote to clients, the prevailing uncertainty has affected the state of the markets. We continue to monitor this and we'll be in touch with clients if we believe you need to take any action. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. (Please note, we have a series of communication pieces to roll out to clients in the near future. Please watch out for these in your inbox.)It's also no surprise that the scammers have taken advantage of this threat. Be suspicious of emails or phone calls purporting to be on this topic and be sceptical of clicking on attachments or links or supplying personal information.Thanks for reading and we look forward to keeping in touch.