Major corporations around the world are putting in place extraordinary measures to try and limit the spread of novel coronavirus. Travel bans and remote working policies have been introduced in recent days and offices have been closed, as companies to try and protect employees from COVID-19. Twitter (TWTR), Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Nike (NKE) are among the global businesses that have introduced extra measures. The precautions come as infection numbers continue to rise and some staff members at the likes of Amazon, Google, and Nike have tested positive for COVID-19. Twitter said in a blog on Sunday it was “suspending all non-critical business travel and events” as part of efforts to ensure “the health and safety of our employees and partners is not compromised”. Amazon has told staff not to travel domestically or internationally until further notice, according to the New York Times. Job interviews are also being changed from face-to-face to video conferences. A spokesperson declined to comment on the measures. Separately, the tech giant announced that two employees in Italy had tested positive for COVID-19. “We’re supporting the affected employees who were in Milan and are now in quarantine,” a spokesperson for Amazon told Yahoo Finance UK. Google is restricting staff from travelling to Iran, parts of Italy, South Korea, and Japan over concerns about coronavirus outbreaks in these regions, according to Business Inside. It comes after a staffer at the tech giant reportedly tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in Google’s Zurich office. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nike has closed its Oregon headquarters and its European headquarters in Amsterdam for deep cleaning, according to reports, after a US-based employee who had visited the Netherlands tested positive for the virus. Nike didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Fastly (FSLY), a Nasdaq-listed cloud computing business, said in a blog on Sunday it was closing all offices in favour of remote working, banning all non-essential travel, cancelling Fastly-sponsored events, and discouraging staff from attending any other industry events. “Given that the situation related to COVID-19 is rapidly evolving, we believe an abundance of caution is prudent,” Fastly chief executive Joshua Bixbey wrote. Banks are also scrambling to ensure traders can work from home or at back-up trading floors, according to the Financial Times. Open trading floors, which can house thousands of workers, are seen as high-risk for the spread of coronavirus but regulators must approve any traders that work outside of bank’s authorised premises. Yahoo Finance UK understands that staff at JP Morgan are being encouraged to test their laptops to ensure they can remotely access company systems in case of emergency. A spokesperson declined to comment. Goldman Sachs told staff on Saturday it was banning all “non-essential” travel and putting in place specific restrictions on travel to China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran, according to a memo seen by Yahoo Finance UK. Staff who have recently visited China and South Korea have also been told to self-isolate away from the office for two weeks. “We are closely monitoring new developments regarding COVID-19 and calibrating the firm’s global response on a daily basis,” the bank wrote in the memo to staff. Goldman Sachs declined to comment. The extra precautions come as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread globally. The number of new cases rose by 2,358 on Sunday, almost double the average recorded over the previous five days. There have now been just over 89,000 cases worldwide and over 3,000 people have died from COVID-19.
The first two deaths in the US were recorded over the weekend. The World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its coronavirus threat assessment level to “very high” on Friday.
Last week US oil giant Chevron, advertising agency OMD, and law firm Baker McKenzie all sent home London staff as a precaution after employees reported flu-like symptoms. The epidemic has also led to the cancellation of major industry events such as Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Geneva Motor Show, and Facebook’s (FB) F8 developer conference.