The head of a prominent law firm with a cluster of COVID-19 cases says transmission occurred at a private function,though some of its employees returned to the office during lockdown.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealed on Thursday that six cases had been linked to commercial law firm HWL Ebsworth’s office in Melbourne.
Managing Partner Juan Martinez said the outbreak originated in the community and transmission occurred between employees at a private function outside the office.
“We have operated within guidelines at all times and have worked very closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that we’ve met their expectations in that regard,” Mr Martinez said.
“It’s important to note that it is not an outbreak that originated from our office,and it didn’t arise as a result of our operating practices.”
Mr Martinez confirmed that some employees had been working in the firm's Collins Street offices during the pandemic with team members who can't work from home operating on"tailored arrangements."
"Our office environment has been set up to ensure that anyone that needs to work from the office can do so in a safe way,"he said.
"The Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria have been particularly helpful in assisting us with this situation."
A government spokeswoman said its advice has been clear.
"If you can work from home,you must work from home to slow the spread of this deadly virus and save lives,"she said.
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