London staff of China's Unipec stay home over coronavirus fears

London employees at Unipec, the trading arm of China's state oil firm Sinopec, have been told to work from home after an employee exhibited coronavirus-like symptoms, a source familiar with the matter said.

Employees were "asked to stay home until more is known as a precaution", the source said. "Unipec UK will continue to monitor the situation of this suspected case of COVID-19 very closely, abiding by the guidance of international and local health authorities," the company said in a statement.

"Our primary concern is the health and safety of our employees," it added.