It has been a while since the normally peripatetic Tony Lombardo got on a plane, either to travel to one of the spots in Asia where his company, Lendlease, is developing a project or prospecting for one, or going home to see his mother and siblings in Melbourne.

The last time he made a trip - during this year's Chinese New Year holiday weekend, when he took his wife to Cambodia - most of his time was spent planning to proactively shut down construction in China to keep his staff safe from the pandemic. Lendlease was one of the first big companies in Asia to ban official travel by staff.