5 US employees at ad agency R/GA have tested positive for COVID-19. Read the internal memo confirming the first case to global staff.

• Ad agency R/GA, part of holding company IPG, has confirmed five cases of COVID-19 among US staff over the past two weeks.
• A March 19 memo notified all 2,000-plus global employees of the first case after leadership told staff in the agency's New York headquarters. It went out the same day that another IPG company, PR firm Weber Shandwick, confirmed its first case of the virus.
• An R/GA executive said four more New York employees have since tested positive since the first case and that all are currently resting at home.
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Ad holding company IPG-owned R/GA, a design firm and ad agency known for creating digital products like apps and chatbots for clients including Nike, Samsung, and Lego, confirmed five cases of coronavirus among its US staff.

An internal memo sent to all 2,000-plus employees March 19 by Global CEO Sean Lyons, Chief Talent Officer Angie Hannam, Chief Operating Officer Wes Harris, and CMO Jess Greenwood and obtained by Business Insider shows how the company told staff about the virus's spread.

Five R/GA employees in the US have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two weeks

The memo went out in the early afternoon of March 19 - about two hours before another IPG company, PR firm Weber Shandwick, confirmed an employee in its New York headquarters had tested positive for the virus.

Greenwood told Business Insider that four additional R/GA New York employees have since tested positive and that all are currently resting at home.

The person who provided the memo said R/GA leaders have been in regular contact regarding the outbreak.

One office received an urgent email and Slack message the night of Thursday, March 5, stating that facilities would be deep-cleaned over the following weekend to minimize potential exposure. Staff were later told to begin working remotely starting the following Monday, about two weeks before the virus officially hit the agency and several days before IPG CEO Michael Roth recommended that employees in North America talk to managers about working from home.

Read the memo below.

Some news. New Yorkers, you know this already, and we want to make the global R/GA community aware, as well, that a New York-based colleague of ours has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual did not develop symptoms until after working from home, and is currently at home and resting.

Very important: we've already advised the people working closely with this person to self-quarantine for the next 14 days, and to pay attention in the event they start feeling any symptoms. If you haven't heard from us yet, it's because you weren't working closely with this person.

To be clear: this has been extremely likely since the beginning. This is the first, and probably won't be the last. We're telling you all now as we know there were people in and out of the NY office last week, and we want to be as transparent as we can about the changes we're making to accommodate this development.

The first of these changes is that the New York office is officially closed, starting tomorrow, and for at least the next 14 days. We're also bringing in a deep cleaning service, and have alerted building management. (Please note: the physical office is closed, but pens are still very much up! Keep the remote collaboration rolling.)

For everyone else, the standard rules apply. Social distance. Wash your hands. If you have or are starting to feel symptoms, please consult with a doctor immediately.

Also super important: In the event that you do test positive, please notify your local Talent Partners, and we will work with you to notify your team members. There is no stigma associated with a positive test, and the sooner we know, the more quickly we can move to contain the spread. Your identity will always remain confidential.

Also: unless you test positive, no need to notify us.

We understand that there may be additional questions, and we ask that you funnel any of those questions directly to your Talent Partners. We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Angie, Sean, Wes and Jess

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