As many regions are beginning to consider ongoing infection control measures this is a summary update on the current situation for all operations at Continent 8.

Operations:
• All data centres have remained in full operation throughout the pandemic; including those with limited or restricted access.

All service levels continue to be maintained and our services, global support teams and supporting staff are unaffected and continue to take additional measures to operate safely.

Physical Site Access:
UPDATE: Face coverings

• A large number of 3rd party data centres are now strongly recommending or, in a limited number of locations, mandating that visitors wear face coverings or masks during their visit. In locations where face coverings are already required by local Governmental mandates the providers require face coverings at all times.
• In the majority of locations providers are providing non-medical-grade masks for visitors where supplies allow, however we encourage visitors to bring their own face covering whenever possible. According to guidance from the CDC, a cloth face covering can include a scarf, bandana, or cloth that covers the nose and mouth. Cloth face coverings should:

o Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
o Be secured with ties or ear loops
o Allow for breathing without restriction
o Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape

• Face covering requirements at Continent 8 owned data centres will follow local Governmental guidance as they are issued in each region.
• Please verify the status of specific sites when seeking / arranging any access.

General site access

• Restrictions on people movements and requirements for social distance and isolation are now well established, and continue to affect visitors to sites.
• To minimise the risk of operational impact and for the health and safety of your employees, our employees, site security and our communities, we advise:

o A small number of our 3rd party data centres remain unable to permit visitors. Where possible, all activity should be executed utilising remote hands services (see below).
o One of our 3rd party facilities in Malta is restricting visits to emergency only and requires a minimum of 72hrs notice.
o For those locations which remain accessible there is an appointment approach being taken – to manage people movements and to ensure social distancing can be achieved. Access request can be made in the usual manner via Support along with the requested days / times. Support will revert to confirm availability and that access is arranged or suggest alternatives.
o Any Data Centre access requests must be for critical works only
o The latest specific details for a particular site can be obtained from support@continent8.com

Remote Hands Services

• Remain available at all sites, however their use should continue to be restricted to business-critical operations only where possible. This is to manage demand, ensure availability and reduce length of wait in busy sites.

New installations / project work

• If there is an urgent planned installation or project delivery (non-critical) please approach and discuss with your account manager in order that this can be accommodated and managed to minimise risk for all. We would encourage you to undertake any such work utilising Remote Hands wherever possible.

As the global situation continues to evolve we are updating our previous notifications with the latest information at this time.

We wish to assure you that all data centres are currently in full operation, including those with limited or restricted access.

Physical site access

The restrictions on people movements and requirements for social distance and isolation, both locally and globally are naturally now having an effect on visitors to sites.

Many of Continent 8’s geographical locations have closed their borders, implemented restrictions on gatherings and a number are employing curfews, all of which are having effects for any potential visitor to a C8 data centre.

To minimise the risk of operational impact and for the health and safety of your employees, our employees, site security and our communities, we now advise that:

• A number of our 3^rd party data centres in France, Spain and Italy are now unable to permit visitors. It is expected that these restrictions will also increase to the UK and the Netherlands in the coming days. All activity at these sites should be executed utilising remote hands services (see below).
• One of our facilities in Malta is restricting visits to emergency only and requires a minimum of 72hrs notice.
• For those locations which remain accessible there is an appointment approach being taken – to manage people movements and to ensure social distancing can be achieved. Depending on site’s situation will depend on the length of wait required for appointment slots. Access request can be made in the usual manner via Support along with the requested days / times. Support will revert to confirm availability and that access is arranged or suggest alternatives.
• In all cases, for sites which remain open please expect additional controls, further checks and requirements to observe and adhere to guidance for limiting infection risk.
• Any Data Centre access requests must be for critical works only
• The latest specific details for a particular site can be obtained from support@continent8.com

Remote Hands Services

• Remain available at all sites, however their use should be restricted to business critical operations only where possible. This is to manage demand, ensure availability and reduce length of wait in busy sites.

New installations / project work

• If there is an urgent planned installation or project delivery (non-critical) please approach and discuss with your account manager in order that this can be accommodated and managed to minimise risk for all. We would encourage you to undertake any such work utilising Remote Hands wherever possible.

We thank you for your continued understanding at this time.

Following yesterday’s update, over the past 24 hours, a number of our co-location partners have implemented additional steps to manage and reduce physical risk at their data centre sites, whilst maintaining availability and service.

At this time all sites are operating normally and remote hands services remain available at all sites.

Revised data centre access arrangements

To minimise the risk of operational impact and for the health and safety of your employees, our employees, site security and our communities, we now ask that customers adhere to the following guidelines:

• Restrict physical data centre visits to critical works only
• Leverage remote hands services whenever possible to reduce the number of people on site – giving as much notice as possible
• It can be expected that demand for remote hands will be higher in the coming days and weeks – please factor this into plans and response times.
• Minimise the number of people and the amount of time spent in any facility, even in a critical situation.

Customers that have a critical need to access data centres should only do so if they:

• Do not have any cold or flu-like symptoms
• Have not been out of the country within the last two weeks
• Have had no known contact with someone in that same period who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
• Upon arrival at the data centre, visitors should wash hands thoroughly before proceeding to their cage/cabinet, conduct their work and then exit the facility as quickly and efficiently as possible
• If Continent 8 or partner DC employees or security are escorting a customer representative to their cage or cabinet, they will do so while maintaining a safe distance

The goal of this change is to reduce risk, amount of traffic whilst maintaining service and availability for critical site access.

If there is an urgent planned installation or project delivery (non-critical) please approach and discuss with your account manager in order that this can be accommodated and managed to minimise risk for all.

Please note that this is a fluid and evolving situation; current procedures and guidelines may be changed at any time by our partners.

We thank you for your continued understanding at this time.

Continent 8 continues to monitor, respond and adapt to the rapidly changing global COVID-19 outbreak. As a further update to the previous guidance issued on Thursday 12^th March a status and response update is below:-

Current status

• All Continent 8 customer-facing data centres remain operating normally at this time
• Due to the regional restrictions and guidance issued by Governments Continent 8 now has a large amount of our staff working remotely and that number will likely increase in the coming days. As a result of this there are no changes to service or service availability and all sites remain with on-site cover as applicable.
• In terms of site access; due to the Government-imposed travel and people movement restrictions a small number of European sites are now not accessible in person at this time, affected customers have been contacted separately.
• In addition, travel guidance in many countries now prohibits or restricts people movement, with mandatory quarantine in place in many locations. In all cases, full adherence to travel guidance in the location of origin and destination now applies, this is also restricting ability for customers to travel to our locations.
• Our partners continue to implement a range of additional controls around health monitoring and access control. Per-site guidance, which is changing daily, is available by contacting Support@continent8.com
• Remote hands services remain available at all sites.
• Whilst no changes to service levels or response times have been communicated by co-location partners it can be expected that demand for remote hands will be higher in the coming days and weeks. We will of course monitor this and communicate any substantive change.
• All staff, customers and partners must at all times follow the guidance issued by the WHO and local health authorities.

Planning considerations

• Given the recent restrictions on people movement a working assumption can be made that in all sites we may become wholly reliant on availability of local hands and eyes services on the ground, or on call – either C8 or partner.
• The level and availability of service available may become location dependent, largely dictated by the local staffing availability, people movement restrictions and ongoing infection situations.
• It is feasible that in high-demand locations that break/fix activities may require to take priority over projects, new installations or new deployments.
• It may also be that additional sites become inaccessible to visitors due to local or Governmental restrictions, or as a result of identified infection.
• Whilst these scenarios remain low risk we will do everything possible to minimise any effect at this time they should be factored in as part of any planning activity currently underway.

We are continuing to monitor developments on a daily basis and will continue to update guidance as necessary.

Should you have any queries, please contact Continent 8 Support at:

Phone: Europe + 44 1624 694611 or North America + 1 514 461 5111

Email:  support@continent8.com

In light of ongoing developments regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) we wanted to share the latest information regarding our response to this developing situation – both corporately and practically.

Please be advised that we are taking the situation very seriously; the health and safety of our customers, our employees and our partners is our primary concern.

There have been a number of additional developments in the past 48 hours at key sites for Continent 8 and varying travel and quarantine restrictions continue to be imposed by Governments globally. We remain following the direction of the World Health Organisation and guidance of the local health authorities in the jurisdictions we operate to ensure we are best placed to minimise any potential effects.

Continent 8’s Business Operations:

Continent 8 has robust business continuity plans in place to provide direction to our teams in the event that the COVID-19 virus poses a health and safety threat to our customers, partners or employees, or otherwise threatens our ability to effectively deliver services.

As a global business with geographically separated teams we have extensive remote and teleworking capability. Our plans therefore allow for scenarios such as the current one unfolding where remote working may become mandatory. In the past 24hrs additional controls have been placed by the Governments of Malta and Ireland to which we are adhering in full. At this stage neither are expected to have any effect on service or service availability.

Local site access and remote hands services will, subject to any location or Government imposed lockdowns, remain available too. This situation is currently unlikely to change, however if there are any further developments we will advise all customers in any affected location.

We have a number of contingency plans underway in readiness, such as:-

• Reduce staff to minimum (critical only) levels at all Continent 8 locations.
• Identify critical staff who must be on-site and prepared to shelter in place for up to 48-72 hours if necessary.
• Engage critical suppliers to understand their Pandemic Response Plans and review their capacity to provide service during any long-term event.
• Ensure a heightened Customer Communication plan exists to maintain and provide for customer feedback.

Current situation at Continent 8 and partner data centres

At this time all Continent 8 customer-facing data centres are reporting as operating normally, with a number of heightened awareness and additional control measures in place based on regional guidance.

At our partner sites, there are varying additional controls and measures in place. These range from enhanced hygiene through to temperature verification, travel history checks and, at a small number of sites, mandatory wearing of protective masks. Guidance in some locations is changing daily.

Continent 8 continues to monitor the situation closely and, should new guidelines or precautions from any Government or health organisational body be recommended, we will implement immediately.

If you require any further information regarding the COVID-19 infection and to reduce exposure to the illness, please follow the below link to the World Health Organisation website.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019