Microsoft asked many of its employees in the Seattle region near its headquarters and the San Francisco Bay Area to work from home if possible until March 25.
Microsoft
Corp on Wednesday joined the growing number of US companies asking
employees to work from home in order to limit exposure to the
spreading coronavirus outbreak, as it responded to cases near its
Seattle headquarters and in California.
Microsoft
asked many of its employees in the Seattle region near its
headquarters and the San Francisco Bay Area to work from home if
possible until March 25.
"Taking
these measures will ensure your safety and also make the workplace
safer for those that need to be onsite," Executive Vice
President Kurt DelBene told employees in a blog post.
The
post said that some employees for whom "it is essential to be in
the office or other work environments" - such as data center and
retail employees - should continue to go to their work locations and
that the company would follow government guidelines for disinfecting
its sites for essential personnel.
Microsoft
also asked employees to suspend any business travel to the areas
"unless essential for the continuity of Microsoft."
Microsoft
also said employees should cancel non-essential travel to areas with
active coronavirus cases - which includes much of Europe, Asia and
the Americas - and that employees were not required to travel if they
had concerns about doing so.
In
the greater Seattle area, the total number of coronavirus cases
climbed to 39 on Wednesday and 10 deaths, up from 27 cases and nine
deaths a day earlier, the Washington State Health Department
announced. The first death in California from the coronavirus was
announced on Wednesday.
The
Seattle area has the largest concentration of coronavirus cases
detected to date in the United States. Several cases were connected
to a long-term care facility for the elderly.
Microsoft
also implemented new guidelines for employees who do come to its
offices. It recommended "limiting prolonged close interactions
with people" by keeping in-person meetings as short as possible
and staying at least 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, away from others.
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