Lloyd's prepares to reopen underwriting room on May 17

Specialist insurance and reinsurance marketplace Lloyd's of London has unveiled plans to  reopen its underwriting room and corporation offices on May 17 after considering the latest UK government guidelines.

The corporation had to close its iconic underwriting room for a second time in January after the government’s decision to place England and the UK in a second national lockdown.

In a statement released by Lloyd's, chief executive John Neal confirmed the reopening plan but for a limited number of people "who need to be in", with further relaxations expected from June 21.

Measures such as class of business weekly rota and mandatory face masks will be put in place to facilitate safe and socially distant face-to-face trading.

"To manage capacity and ensure we are Covid-secure, we will once again apply a class of business rota during the week and we will confirm further details closer to the time," said Neal.

Lloyd's will look to further relax restrictions and increase footfall in line with expected updated government guidance from June 21. This will include beginning the process to remove the Perspex screens throughout the underwriting floors.

Face coverings will be mandatory in all public areas of the building, including Lloyd’s reception, lift lobbies and lifts, bathrooms, the coffee shop and when walking around the underwriting room, with an exception of the Box or in meetings.

The corporation stressed that market participants should only enter One Lime Street if they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms, and only Lloyd’s passholders will be permitted access inside.

A number of areas will continue to remain closed, including the coffee shop and restaurant seating, events and tours, Lloyd's shop and meeting rooms.

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