Lloyd’s of London has shuttered its underwriting room in response rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the UK.
The move follows the UK government’s coronavirus advice to avoid all non-essential contact.
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Lloyd’s in a statement said: “The Lloyd’s Underwriting Room in London will be closed with effect from 16:00GMT 19 March in line with UK Government advice to avoid all non-essential contact.
The UK has till now recorded more than 3,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 140 deaths.
Last Friday, it decided to shut its underwriting floors for a day to test its Covid-19 contingency plan.
The 24-hour window was also be used the insurance market to sanitise the underwriting room and all public areas within its building.
“Following our successful resilience test on 13 March, we are confident that our emergency trading protocols will enable the market to continue trading during the closure and we will review this decision on a weekly basis,” the statement read.
Lloyd’s, however, stated that it will remain open for business and support its customers across the globe.
Lloyd’s will review the situation on a weekly basis. Its building at One Lime Street will continue to be open for tenants, which could change in the future.
Lloyd’s had set up a dedicated contact point for policyholders to give them assistance and enable them contact the right person to process a claim.
