HipVan Official Statement

HipVan Employee Tested Positive for Covid-19 Virus

On 15 February 2020, we were informed by one of our staff that she had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, and is undergoing mandatory treatment and quarantine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital based on MOH guidelines. The staff is identified as Patient 70 by MOH (more details can be found here), and is believed to have contracted the virus from her family member. The staff was last in our Kallang Office on 12 February, and was working from home on 13 February, before being admitted to the hospital on 14 February to undergo further tests. The tests returned positive results on 15 February late night.

On 16 February, our management issued a work-from-home order until further notice to all our staff at HipVan's Kallang office, where the affected staff is based, and which houses our management, merchandizing, marketing, and customer support teams. All "Kallang staff" were also advised by our management to cancel all external meetings, monitor their health, and limit 3rd party contact. Working with our management team, MOH personnel have also contacted all of our "Kallang staff" to confirm their personal details and gave further advice to monitor their health. At the time of this announcement, no other staff from HipVan's Kallang office has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, and will be on daily phone monitoring with MOH personnel.

No Contact with Warehouse and Delivery Teams Working out of Separate Location

Since 1 November 2019, our warehouse, operations and delivery teams have been outsourced to 3rd Party service providers working out of a Tuas location. The staff of these 3rd Party service providers do not have close contact with our Kallang office as our fully automated operations management system allows all delivery instructions to be communicated electronically. However as a precautionary measure, we have implemented mandatory daily temperature monitoring for all our delivery drivers at the start of every work day, and reminded them of the need to monitor their health and maintain good personal hygiene. As of now, all of our delivery and warehouse team members are in good health.

With the utmost consideration for the health and safety of our employees, 3rd Party service providers, customers, and business partners, our management is assured that the Tuas location, including all our goods and delivery personnel, is sufficiently isolated from our Kallang office. MOH has also not requested any monitoring or contact details of our staff based in our Tuas location. As such, business will carry on as per normal on www.hipvan.com, with the exception that our showroom and office will be closed to all visitors until further notice.

Once again, we want to assure all our customers and business partners that your health and safety will always be our first priority in all our decisions. We seek your kind support and understanding during this difficult period, and look forward to continuing to serve you to the best of our abilities.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this announcement, please do not hesitate to write in to us at wecare@hipvan.com, and we will be happy to address any concerns you may have as quickly as possible.