Halifax Building Society has shut its Belfast call centre after a member of staff was diagnosed with coronavirus.
Lloyds Bank says workers at the Belfast call centre in the Gasworks area have been asked to self-isolate or work from home.
Around 1,000 people work in the building.
Lloyds said it will ‘allow for the appropriate areas of the site to be cleaned, after a colleague based there was diagnosed with Covid-19.’
The company says its priority is the wellbeing of the person affected, as well as the colleagues and visitors to the building.
Meanwhile, Belfast City Council has agreed to cancel this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade and concert following the spread of Coronavirus, along with Dublin.
The coronavirus outbreak is putting strain on the Italian health-care system, with hospitals in the worst-affected areas close to the breaking point.
Italy went from having a handful of cases to the second-largest death toll after China in less than three weeks.
The Foreign Office is now warning against all but essential travel to Italy. Those with travel insurance should be able to claim and are now awaiting guidance from airlines.
Cancellation of the 2020 St. Patrick's Festival Parade, Dublin and Mass Gathering Events Confirmed: https://t.co/K9we9D7M4B pic.twitter.com/Mkt6aaSYe9
— St. Patrick's Festival (@stpatricksfest) March 9, 2020