In response to the recent incident at the QEII Centre they have issued the following statement and policy on Coronavirus:

"We have spoken to Public Health England today and they have said the risk to any delegates who attended the same conference as the delegate on 6 February who became ill is very low however they have all been written to as a precautionary measure. On the advice of Public Health England the Centre remains open and events will continue to take place as normal. Public Health England have not expressed any concern regarding events that have subsequently taken place in the building"

The QEII Centre received information from Public Health England on Thursday 13 February 2020 that a delegate who had attended the 6th Annual Bus Summit at the venue on Thursday 6 February 2020 is a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). We can confirm this is not the individual reported in the press who travelled to the hospital in an Uber.

Public Health England have stated that the risk of exposure or transmission to other delegates at the 6th Annual Bus Summit is low. However, as a precaution, Public Health England has informed QEII that it is contacting all attendees via event organiser, Transport Times.

On the advice of Public Health England, The QEII Centre remains fully open and events will continue to take place as normal.

We would like to reassure you that The QEII Centre takes the health and safety of its clients, staff and partners very seriously and in addition to the business's existing, thorough health and safety and hygiene practices, is following updated advice from the UK Government and Public Health England.

All QEII staff have been advised if they develop symptoms of a cough or fever or shortness of breath, they should immediately stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, as you would with the flu and call NHS 111. We appreciate the heightened concerns surrounding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in public areas so wanted to reassure you and highlight the key precautions we continue to take to ensure your wellbeing.

Three main symptoms have been reported by China and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to date:

• Fever, Cough or chest tightness, Shortness of breath

Precautions

• Public areas:  Sanitising stations with dispensers are being made available in reception and cloakroom areas plus all lift lobbies.
• “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”:  Posters have been put up all around the building including in all lavatories, public and back of house areas. These posters emphasise the importance of individuals washing their hands regularly.
• Cleaning schedule: The QEII Centre already has a robust cleaning schedule in place however an enhanced schedule has been put in place to regularly disinfect high volume touch points such as door handles, push plates, stair rails, lift call buttons and chair arms.
• Potentially infected individuals: You will be aware that, based on the World Health Organization’s declaration that this is a public health emergency of international concern, the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. This permits the government to plan for all eventualities. The risk to individuals remains low.
• Quarantine period: In line with our partners, QEII Centre has introduced a 16 day quarantine period for any colleague who has travelled to China or South East Asia since 18 January 2020. We would advise you to check the origins of travel of your delegates prior to your event.
• Compass Group response: QEII Taste who deliver the catering at QEII Centre are part of the Compass Group. As a precaution Compass has introduced a 16 day quarantine period, should any colleague have travelled to China and Hong Kong since 18 January. These individuals must remain at home regardless of whether they have shown any flu like symptoms or not and follow PHE advice before returning to work. This requirement also applies to agency staff.

In addition to the above we are actively sharing our best practice which should be shared with your delegates to reduce the chance of transmission.

Know the routes of transmission 

• Direct contact to face – eyes, nose from droplets spraying from an infected person onto another person.
• Contamination via droplets from sneezing and coughing landing on surfaces and then transferring via hands on to eyes and nose.
• Contamination to hands from sneezing or coughing and then transfer to others (handshakes) or on to hand contact surfaces to be picked up by others by their hands and transferred to their eyes or nose.

Travelling to and arriving at the QEII Centre

• Encourage all delegates to wash their hands immediately upon arrival.
• Use the sanitiser at the QEII Centre throughout the day.
• Advise everyone to wash their hands as soon as they get home particularly if they have travelled on public transport.

How to protect yourself

Keep your hands away from your face, particularly your eyes and nose

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