One of the world's largest telecommunications companies has some advice for smaller businesses in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
Vodafone is dusting off its pandemic plan and preparing for a complete lockdown.
The company says it wants to trial the contingency before it's forced into action.
In the coming days, 1200 staff will work off-site in an effort to see how well it works.
Only a small number of business-critical staff (such as call centre and network operations) will be allowed access to the building.
A Vodafone spokesperson says the company is heading into uncharted territory but want to identify any gaps in the Business Continuity Plan.
"Vodafone NZ will be closing large areas of its main headquarters, at Smales Farm on Auckland’s North Shore, in order to test its remote working policies and systems at scale, as part of our business continuity response to the rapidly evolving Covid-19 situation.
Three people are in self-isolation from the company, and the closest workers have gotten to Covid-19 is three degrees of separation.
She says the company has increased the sterilisation of its building as the threat looms.
"We want to ensure we can protect our employees while still maintaining a great network service for all New Zealanders. "
