Coronavirus (Covid-19) info

We are going through an unprecedented time right now with the global Coronavirus pandemic. This is situation is impacting every single person and business, and is changing day-by-day and country-by-country.  We’re continuously monitoring and reassessing how best to respond in light of new information and new restrictions. Ensuring the health and safety of our employees is our number one priority.

As part of the co-ordinated global effort to contain the Covid-19 virus, many Mobilecomm employees are required to work from home. We know that this isn’t easy, but we are committed to helping you make the best of remote working; we’ve got some great tips to help you stay efficient and take care of your physical and mental wellbeing.  

Of course, there’s no ‘one-size fits all’ answer to address every concern. But we’re learning fast and taking on board feedback being submitted via HR to help us respond smarter and address your needs more effectively. So please keep checking in regularly for fresh advice. Remember: We’re all in this together.  

Self-quarantine requirement

Mobilecomm has now taken self-quarantine procedures into use to ensure we minimize the likelihood of spreading the Corona virus within the Mobilecomm community. The requirement applies equally to personal and business travel to or transit through affected areas / countries, whether they are experiencing symptoms or not.

The mortality rate of the COVID-19 infection remains low.  In most cases those infected make a full recovery and suffer relatively mild symptoms.  Due to the current rate of spread of the disease to multiple countries and with countries imposing restrictions on travel, movement and social interaction Mobilecomm needs to consider the impact of its travel activities.​​​​​​​

The virus is believed to have a 14-day incubation period, meaning that those who have contracted the infection are infectious for up to 14 days prior to showing symptoms.  This means that by the time the person has an elevated temperature, cough or shortness of breath, they could have already passed on the infection to anyone they have been in close contact with.

One way to help reduce the spread of the infection within the Mobilecomm community is self-quarantining for 14 days and only returning to the office if you are not showing symptoms after this time.

This approach provides peace of mind for the traveler, and for fellow colleagues, that Mobilecomm is taking measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.

Self-quarantine requirements following travel

These requirements are the minimum Mobilecomm requirements however, there may be additional measures applied in some locations to comply with local government or health authority requirements:​​​​​​​

• The requirement applies equally to personal and business travel to or transit through affected areas / countries, whether they are experiencing symptoms or not
• Any Mobilecomm employee, business partner, supplier or contractor that works in a Mobilecomm office and has returned from an “affected area / country” is required to self-quarantine for 14 days
• Self-quarantine means to not visit the Mobilecomm, supplier or customer offices and to work from home for a period of 14 days
• The 14-day period begins at the time of arriving back from the affected area (i.e. leaving the arrival airport)
• The requirement applies retrospectively to past travel within the preceding 14 days i.e. if you have returned from an area / country that has since been designated as an “affected area/ country”, you would need to self-quarantine for the remainder of the period. e.g. if you have returned 5 days ago, you should self-quarantine for the remaining 9 days
• If it is not possible for an employee to work from home / remotely due to their role, an exception will need to be evaluated by line management, HR and HSSE. Social Distancing while in the Mobilecomm, customer or subcontractor environment must be practiced during the 14 day period.
• If an employee that is required to self-quarantine following an approved business trip to an “affected area / country”, is not comfortable to remain at home due to susceptible family members, reimbursement for alternative accommodation should be agreed with the line manager and expensed through the normal expense process.
• When returning from any other destination, there is no requirement to self-quarantine unless you feel ill with symptoms.

Protect yourself and your colleagues

Symptoms of the Corona virus are like ‘flu and include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Prevention is through avoiding exposure and good routine hygiene. 

You can help reduce your risk of getting respiratory illnesses, such as flus and influenza, by these means:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and help young children do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
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• Keep some distance from people who are obviously sick.
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• Seek medical care early if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
• Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider.

For more general tips and advise, visit WHO webpages.

Business critical roles that cannot be done working remotely

There are some roles that cannot be completed without a person being physically present, either in the field or office or at a customer’s site to maintain our critical systems. This guidance will assist decision makers by providing a framework for analysis. It is not intended to be a list of all possible considerations and decision makers should consider other factors that may be relevant to their situation, such as local government mandates.

This is a dynamic situation. We will update this based on changes in the situation and new learnings, so please check for updates to this Guidance

Field services rules

Go / no-go decisions

1) Assess the role for criticality:

• Does the task need to be done to ensure continuity of critical networks?
• Can it be completed remotely?
• Can the times of the activity be altered to create distance (avoiding others)?
• If the task is not needed to ensure continuity, and customer agrees the work is not imperative, then stop the task if the task creates risk from a COVID-19 perspective. If it can be done remotely, then it would be preferred to do it remotely.​​​​​​​

Assess the risks

2) Risk assess the role from a COVID-19 perspective:

• What human to human contact does it require?
• Is it work in a public area or work in a private property with limited access (look at the time of day when the task will be done)?
• Is there climbing or other work that requires close physical inspection under the Mobilecomm Life Saving Rules (e.g., PPE inspection)?
• What is the transport method related to the task – personal or public transport (social distancing must be maintained)?
• Can the team members be located in the area the work is being conducted to remove transport?
• How can personnel changes in the team be minimized?
• Are the individuals indicating that they have a higher risk of illness, based on self-assessment?​​​​​​​

Required measures

3) Remind everyone of the importance of basic hygiene and social distancing and follow recognized health authorities’ recommendations.

• Good basic hygiene will prevent the spread of COVID-19 and your contact with COVID-19.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Take your own food and water to the area. Do not share food or water and keep the social distancing process in place even during breaks.

Take steps to protect the team members.

• Provide those that do not have access to fixed washing facilities with hand sanitizer.
• Advise all team members about social distancing – for teams receiving goods – minimize interaction; supervisors must remind the teams daily of the need to respect these recommendations.
• Ensure that you have all needed personal protective equipment locally required.

Be rigorous in applying COVID-19 measures in teams:

• Anyone with symptoms or who is not feeling well stays at home.
• Anyone who has been to an “affected area” (example: site that has had a known COVID-19 case) must self-isolate for a period of 14 days.
• Anyone who has been in close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case must self-isolate for a period of 14 days.
• Anyone who needs to self-quarantine for whatever reason will not be involved in in-person activities. ​​​​​​​

Personal health considerations for workers

4) Direct employees and external workers to self-asses their individual health situations following authorities’ and company guidance, based on these considerations:

• Having any underlying health conditions will make an individual more susceptible to becoming ill.
• If the employee’s close family members have any underlying health conditions that would also make them more susceptible to becoming ill.
• Certain circumstances such as contact with a contaminated individual or travel to an “affected area” will require a 14-day quarantine.
• The existence of any COVID-19-like symptoms should prompt the individual to contact their trusted medical professional or the medical service on site, if available.

Note: This self-assessment should be conducted privately by the individual employees.  Individuals should not be required to provide answers to these questions orally or in writing, nor should such assessment be shared with managers or other employees.  Rather, these should be a self-reflection by the employee.  We don’t want to encourage or require disclosure of personal information, especially health-related information (the collection or processing of which is considered illegal in many countries).  Workplace medical exams (including fever scans) should only be performed where allowed by local law. Medical exams should be conducted by trained medical professionals subject to the professional secrecy duties. Resulting personal health data should be protected by appropriate security measures and treated as confidential and private. It should not be shared with HR, except for purposes of registering absence due to sickness, or as prescribed by local employment law. ​​​​​​​

Rules for field operations