Sydney

Australian national firm Clayton Utz has told its staff in Sydney to work from home after one of its employees said he may have been indirectly exposed to Coronavirus.

"One of our Sydney employees notified us overnight that he may indirectly have been exposed to the virus. He immediately self-isolated and we have taken a range of precautionary measures including asking our Sydney employees to work from home, and suspending an on-site client event," Clayton Utz said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

"We will be updating our employees and clients once we know more this evening. Their health and safety is our priority which is why we've been pro-active in managing any potential risk."

The unnamed employee's wife's grandmother died this week and was found to have contracted COVID-19, the Australian Financial Review reported. "The employee's wife is being tested; if the results are negative, the employee will not have been exposed," staff were told in an email, according to the report.

Clayton Utz is the latest firm to take preventative measures to halt the growing spread of coronavirus globally.

Baker McKenzie closed its London office on Friday (February 28) after an employee reported being ill after returning from Northern Italy. The office reopened this week after the employee tested negative for the virus.

Elsewhere a number of firms including Linklaters, Simmons & Simmons, Baker Botts and Latham & Watkins have cancelled their global partner conferences. Others have imposed travel restrictions to and from affected areas and called on staff returning from these regions to work from home.

Additional reporting from Simon Lock