Smith Coronavirus Update

Smith is actively monitoring the coronavirus situation as it develops. Smith’s operations in Hong Kong continued uninterrupted today, following the Chinese New Year holidays. Smith has a contingency plan in place so that – if the situation escalates – we can divert affected shipments to our Houston or Amsterdam operational facilities.

Our thoughts are with those affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and we hope to see it contained soon. We will continue monitoring the situation and sharing relevant updates to help you stay prepared.

Here is what we currently understand about the situation:

• The Chinese New Year holidays have been extended until February 2 to prevent the mass movement of citizens. Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangdong Province, and Zhejiang Province have extended the holidays until February 9. Other provinces and cities are likely to extend them further.
• Hong Kong has announced the suspension of all ferries and rail services from mainland China, beginning this Thursday, and has cut all inbound flights from China by 50 percent.
• Several countries are moving forward with plans to evacuate their citizens from the coronavirus epicenter, Wuhan. Among the nations pursuing or considering such plans are France, South Korea, Morocco, Britain, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Russia, Reuters reported.

Serious interruptions and cancellations of transport have been reported across China; expect this to continue for the next two weeks.

Click here or on the image below to view an interactive heatmap of global coronavirus cases.