Google is letting its tens of thousands of Bay Area employees work from home due to coronavirus

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FILE PHOTO: File photo: The Google logo is seen at an event in Paris, France May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

  • Google is allowing its tens of thousands of Bay Area, California employees to work from home amid mounting fears about the coronavirus.
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Google is allowing its tens of thousands of Bay Area, California employees to work from home amid mounting fears about the coronavirus.

On Thursday, the tech company emailed employees to tell them that they can work remotely, according to a source familiar with the matter — the latest in a growing number of companies encouraging or mandating employees to work from home. Google is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

New restrictions are also being placed on workers bringing social guests to the offices.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has sickened nearly 98,000 people and killed more than 3,300, and is causing mounting disruption around the globe — disrupting supply chains and forcing the closure of major events.

Facebook cancelled its F8 developer conference, typically the biggest event of the year for the company, and has pulled out of the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, the future of which now looks in doubt.

Google has banned employees from international travel, cancelled its I/O event, and ordered workers at a Dublin office to work remotely after a worker exhibited flu like symptoms. An employee who was in the Zurich office has also tested positive for the virus.

Amazon and Facebook have both already asked their Seattle area-based employees to work remotely, and Twitter has made the same request of its nearly 5,000-strong workforce. On Thursday, Facebook also recommended that Bay Area employees work from hom.

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