As scientists, we feel obliged to contribute to fight the coronavirus pandemic by providing the community with the genomics services that they rely on. At the same time, we are well aware of the health risk to our staff, representatives, partners, and, of course, customers. To reduce the risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus and ensuring the continuation of our genomics services, we immediately implemented comprehensive and sensible safety precautions in accordance with the recommendations by the WHO, CDC and government agencies. One of the first measures was, two weeks ago, to establish an interdisciplinary team of scientists and experts within Eurofins Genomics Europe that daily evaluates the current situation and threats, and sets up plans and procedures.
1. Increased hygiene: We adhere to high hygiene standards at all our sites. Staff exposed to increased risks of contracting the coronavirus has been identified and procedures for self-isolation, if required, are established.
2. Distancing of laboratory staff: We have separated our staff into individual teams and/or shifts with as little physical connection between them as possible. Inter-building and inter-departmental connections are restricted to the absolute minimum. Team meetings have been virtualized. Hence, if within a team an infection would be detected all other teams will be able to continue their work.
3. Travel and visitor restrictions: Our staff is not allowed to travel between different Eurofins sites, business trips have been cancelled. Access for external visitors to all Eurofins Genomics Europe’s production sites has been restricted to the business critical minimum. In cases where external visitors are business critical (e.g. maintenance etc.) each visitor needs to undergo a sanitation procedure and needs to wear protective gear (e.g. facial masks).
4. Home office: Wherever possible, our staff works remotely from home. Internal meetings are held via video conferences and phone calls.
5. Increased stock of supplies: The stock of critical components whenever possible has been increased and is closely monitored. A close contact with key suppliers is maintained. Nevertheless, due the possibility of global supply chain disruptions, the risk of delays in delivery of supplies and subsequently the delivery of products and services cannot be fully excluded.
We want to assure our customers that our sites, production and service partners are fully operational without interruptions. We are doing everything in our power to keep them running to continue to provide genomics services. However, please bear in mind that there may be delays in shipment and delivery of data in the future. We will communicate any updates on the situation through our website www.eurofinsgenomics.com, by email and newsletter.
We would like to ask you to please adhere to the recommendations by the WHO (https://www.who.int/), CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/) and government agencies to ensure your own and loved ones health and safety during this time. It is paramount to stretch the outbreak over time as much as possible to prevent an overload of the healthcare system.
