Ascom UK – our response to COVID19

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding the corona virus pandemic. Our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our people, our clients, partners and suppliers as the situation progresses.

We are proud to be supporting the NHS, private hospitals, care homes and all other front line services through these unprecedented times.

In an attempt to contain and minimise the spread of the virus, we have instructed all Ascom UK employees to reduce all non-business-critical travel and face-to-face meetings through to the end of April. Where possible we will try and convert all physical meetings to Skype conference calls. In addition, employees that can work from home have been instructed to do so, and social distancing has been encouraged.

Contingency plans are in place:

•  We are set up for remote access to our VPN for all relevant staff, and have capabilities to remotely troubleshoot customer installations, should this be required, and there should be limited impact for our customers as long as remote access to installations is guaranteed.

• In the highly unlikely scenario of all technicians being in quarantine, Ascom can dispatch hardware to customers and guide them remotely.

• Ascom has sufficient levels of spares; we are monitoring our supply situation daily and will adapt if necessary.

Practical steps we are taking to minimise the spread:

Where it is deemed necessary to visit our customers, suppliers and partner sites for sales meetings, service calls or installation activities we have put the following measures in place as of 23^rd March:

• All field based customer facing staff will be carrying and using hand sanitisers for personal use and antiseptic wipes to clean tools and equipment.

• We have advised our employees to stop handshakes, and, where possible, to keep a distance of more than 2 meters to other persons.

• Where our engineers are carrying out installations and service activities in customer’s premises, and where required, they will wear disposable gloves and overalls for each site they enter. All tools will be cleaned prior to being used and they will wash hands in line with UK Government recommendations at intervals during their time on site.

• Ascom is not delaying customer projects, unless advised by the customer or local authorities to do so. If customers or other business counterparts have implemented guidance or processes to avoid the spreading of COVID-19, we will follow these rules. We expect customers to guarantee the safety of our employees, providing all necessary equipment (as for their staff) to reduce risks. We are continually monitoring and following local authorities' regulations as these evolve.

• In the event that any of our staff is required to visit the site then confirmation will be required from the customer stating that there are no residents/patients or staff with symptoms of COVID-19.

Working together:

We are committed to supporting our customers, suppliers, partners and employees in this challenging situation, and have a business plan in place. This plan includes for business continuity, supported by clear accountabilities, methodology, escalation and communication chains for crisis management. In addition, Ascom is strictly following all local regulations communicated by the health authorities of each country.

We understand these are unusual times and encourage customers to talk to us about their concerns.

Please contact us directly via our website, social media or by phone. We are here to help.

Ascom UK Ltd

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