Published 10:59 IST, March 7th 2020
Coronavirus: Facebook shuts London, Singapore offices after employee tests positive
Facebook reportedly said that it was closing down its London office and part of its Singapore base for "deep cleaning" after an employee tested positive.
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Facebook reportedly said on March 6 that it was closing down its London office and part of its Singapore base for "deep cleaning" after a Singapore based employee in the Asian city-state was diagnosed with COVID-19. A spokesperson told media that a worker at Marina One office in Singapore tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. He reportedly said in a statement that they have immediately closed the affected areas for deep cleaning and advised its employees in the affected area to work from home until March 13.
Work from home
According to the reports, the infected employee also visited Facebook's London offices between February 24 and 26. The spokesperson said that they are therefore shutting down the London office until Monday for deep cleaning and employees will be working from home until then. The company reportedly said that it was in touch with the individuals who had direct contact with the infected person and had asked them to self-isolate and monitor for any potential symptoms.
Facebook shuts Seattle office
Facebook has reportedly shut down its Seattle office in the US after a contractor was tested positive for the coronavirus. It asked the employees to work from home until the end of the month as directed by the health officials. The office is expected to remain closed for at least a week, confirmed international media report. According to the reports, Facebook revealed that the infected worker was last seen at the Stadium East facility on February 21. It said that its employees were notified, and the company was following strict public health safety protocols to prioritize everyone’s health and safety.
International reports revealed that apart from Facebook, Google and Amazon employees also contracted the strain of the disease elevating health concerns. A spokesperson for Amazon told the media that an employee had been affected, and the company was fully supporting the affected person. It said that the patient had been quarantined. The spokeswoman confirmed that all the co-workers in contact with the affected employee, who worked at Amazon's South Lake Union office complex in Seattle, had been informed. The company informed that two of its employees in Milan had also been infected with COVID-19 and were under mandatory quarantine.
10:59 IST, March 7th 2020