Dentons has temporarily closed its Wuhan office, while U.S. firms including Reed Smith and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe have advised all staff to avoid traveling to mainland China — the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, some law firms with outposts in the region are monitoring the situation while others have stepped up their efforts to ensure the safety of staff, and prevent personnel from contracting the illness.

The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has been rapidly spreading across the country and around the world in recent weeks. As of February 5, the China National Health Commission had received 28,018 reports of confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 563 confirmed deaths.