As the first country to suffer from the coronavirus outbreak, China has also been the first major economy to get most people back to work after largely containing the virus. The government is implementing new measures to relax border controls and quarantine measures and law firms are returning to something approaching normal office life. But the long shadow of the pandemic continues to loom over the country.

Many global firms’ China offices have managed to resume office operations as large business centers such as Beijing and Shanghai reopen cities. “About a month ago, our office gradually returned to normal working hours,” said Charles Ching, who leads Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ China practice from Shanghai. Meanwhile, the firm continues to allow flexibility to work from home for staff who have needs such as taking care of children.