Lloyd’s of London reveals post-pandemic reopening plan

Specialist insurance and reinsurance marketplace Lloyd's of London's building and underwriting room will be open again from September 1, with new safety measures in place.

Lloyd's has revealed a detailed plan to enable the reopening of its London headquarters and iconic underwriting room, whilst adhering to government guidelines ensuring social distancing.

The target September 1 reopening date is subject to the continued easing of lockdown restrictions, and the UK Government confirming Lloyd’s ability to do so.

"The health and safety of all market participants and minimising the spread of the COVID-19 virus remain the principal priorities," Lloyd's said in a statement.

Among the new measures to adhere to social distancing guidelines include reducing the capacity of the underwriting room to 45 percent; installation of clear screens on underwriting boxes; deep cleaning the underwriting room and shared spaces; adjusting opening hours and operating two entrances and two exits to the building.

Additional measures such as restricting use of lifts to two passengers at a time, provision of temperature-check thermal cameras for voluntary use, queuing and one-way systems, as well as click and collect take-away catering service will also be implemented.

Furthermore, Lloyd's said that it is working with the market to determine a class of business rota system to help manage capacity in the underwriting room, as well as support market participant’s “return to the office” planning.

"In parallel with these changes to the way that the physical market operates, we have taken the opportunity to accelerate our plans to improve our digital connectivity both within the Lloyd’s building but also online with a virtual room," Lloyd's said. "This online environment will combine the best features of 1 Lime Street with digital technology to create efficient, smart and collaborative ways of doing business, as part of our Future at Lloyd’s ambitions."

"We are currently testing a number of digital platforms that will enable brokers and underwriters to connect and collaborate online and remain on track to launch a virtual room on 1 September," it added.