Wuhan coronavirus leads Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft to close China locations and suspend employee travel unless 'business critical'
"We place tremendous value and focus on the well-being and safety of our employees. Out of an abundance of caution, we are restricting business travel to and from China until further notice and encouraging our employees to follow the health and safety guidelines provided by international health agencies such as the CDC and WHO," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider.
Amazon also said it's approving some exceptions for essential business travel, and that it's telling employees who do travel to affected regions in China to work from home for two weeks before returning to the office and to seek medical attention first if they experience symptoms.
Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts during an earnings call Tuesday that the company had restricted employee travel to China except in limited "business-critical situations."
"We're taking additional precautions and frequently deep-cleaning our stores as well as conducting temperature checks for employees," Cook said.
The company has also closed down at least three stores in China because of the coronavirus.
Facebook confirmed to Business Insider that it had halted all non-essential travel to China by its staff. Employees in China were also directed to work from home, according to Bloomberg.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken steps to protect the health and safety of our employees," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Facebook also asked employees who had recently traveled to China to work from home for a period out of caution.
Google has temporarily halted business travel to mainland China and closed its stores, a company spokesperson told The Verge on Wednesday.
Google also told The Verge it would keep its offices closed in accordance with government guidance and is telling employees in China or who have immediate family returning from China to work from home for two weeks.
"Based on the evaluation of risk communicated by global health authorities we have advised employees in China to work from home and cancel all non-essential business travel," a Microsoft spokesperson told Forbes.
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