Oil major Total S.A. revealed Friday that it has reduced international business travel to the “strict minimum” following the global coronavirus outbreak.
The company also outlined late last week that employees who have travelled to risk countries, for either professional or personal reasons, are working from home for at least 14 days after arrival and that all internal meetings in closed spaces of more than 50 people have been cancelled.
“The group is updating its employees regularly on the measures taken by the company, especially through its intranet. Its doctors are on stand-by to advise and support them,” a Total spokesperson told Rigzone on March 6.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) website outlines that the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus was first reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. As of March 8, there have been 105,586 confirmed cases of the virus around the world, with 3,584 deaths.
Houston’s CERAWeek conference has already been canceled as a precaution to help prevent further spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.. The event, which was scheduled to begin on March 9, is next expected to take place in Houston in 2021, from March 1-5. Delegates from over 80 countries were expected to participate in CERAWeek 2020.
Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) has also postponed several of its events this year “in light of the developing spread of coronavirus”.
This year’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston is currently scheduled to go ahead, despite the rise of the disease. Last year, over 59,000 people from 111 countries attended the event.
Several companies have cut their 2020 Brent oil price forecasts following the outbreak of the new virus. Last week, IHS Markit revealed that it expects world oil demand will decline by the largest volume in history in the first quarter of this year.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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