Several major technology companies have reported positive COVID-19 diagnoses among their global workforces, prompting office closures and remote work mandates.
Google was first to report that an employee in its Zurich, Switzerland, office had tested positive for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. "We have taken — and will continue to take — all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyone's health and safety," the company said in a statement, NPR reported Feb. 28.
Though Google's Swiss office was not closed at the time, a few days later, the company asked most of the 8,000 workers at its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, to work from home on March 3 after a staff member reported flulike symptoms, according to Business Insider.
Also on March 3, Amazon confirmed to CNBC that an employee in the company's "Brazil" office building in Seattle had been quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19.
"The employee went home feeling unwell on Tuesday, February 25, and has not entered Amazon offices since that time," Amazon reportedly wrote in a memo to employees. "We notified the employees who we know were in close contact with this employee. … The risk of transmission for employees who were not in close contact with this individual is assessed to be low."
On March 5, Facebook completely closed its Seattle-based "Stadium East" office until Monday, which will mark the end of the incubation period for an employee in the office who tested positive for the illness, CNBC reports. Additionally, the company has asked all 5,000 Seattle-area workers to work from home until March 31.
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