Lloyds Banking Group has been forced to temporarily close its Belfast office today after a member of staff contracted Coronavirus.

An email to brokers from the lender’s intermediary arm, BM Solutions, says the Belfast Gasworks office has been closed for cleaning after a worker was diagnosed with the virus.

Around 1,000 call centre workers have been sent home from the premises to self-isolate, according to reports.

The email to brokers says: “The Belfast Gasworks building has been temporarily closed to allow for the appropriate area of the site to be cleaned, after a Lloyds Banking Group colleague based there was diagnosed with Covid-19.  

“We are closely monitoring the developing situation and continue to follow official guidelines.

“We are confident that this closure will not impact the service we provide for you.  

“However, we greatly appreciate your support and ask you to only call if you really need to after checking case tracking emails for updates.

“We thank you for your support during these difficult times.”

Mortgage Strategy has contacted Lloyds for further comment.