Google employee in Zurich contracts coronavirus: Details here
A Google employee has contracted the novel coronavirus. The person in question, according to a statement from the company, was in its Zurich office and had no symptoms of the viral illness, which started spreading from the Chinese city of Wuhan and has already claimed nearly 2,900 lives. Here's all you need to know about it.
Google informed employees about the contraction
The internet giant, which has been taking precautionary steps to protect its employees from the deadly outbreak, recently sent an email to inform its staff about the employee's contraction. It said that the person, who had been at its Zurich office, has tested positive for coronavirus, but added that they showed no symptoms while being in the office.
Condition remains unknown, Zurich office not closed yet
So far, there is no word on the condition of the employee who has been affected by the deadly disease. Also, the Zurich office of the company, where he was affected, still remains open. It is not clear how exactly other employees are taking this or if anyone else has also been affected, like the case of Diamond Princess ship.
What Google says on the matter?
"One employee from our Zurich office has been diagnosed with the coronavirus," a company spokesperson said, adding that "they were in the Zurich office for a limited time before they had any symptoms." The company representative emphasized they've "taken — and will continue to take — all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyone's health and safety."
Google is restricting employee travel due to the outbreak
In the wake of the outbreak, Google had already closed down its offices in China and restricted employees travel to the country. Now, as the concerns over the outbreak grow, the company is further restricting employees travel, barring them from visiting Italy's Lombardy and Veneto, Iran, Japan, and South Korea. Also, it has canceled the Google News Initiative Summit, scheduled for April.
Questions over I/O 2020 remain
With the cancellation of the News Summit, many are also raising questions over the fate of I/O 2020, Google's annual developer conference. The event typically draws thousands of attendees from different parts of the world, which can pose a threat to the health and safety of people. However, at the time of writing, Google has not said anything about canceling I/O.
Facebook's F8, MWC, Geneva Motor Show already canceled
If Google cancels I/O 2020 over coronavirus concerns, it would be big but not completely surprising. Other organizations have also taken a similar decision, including Facebook, which recently canceled its F8 conference. Even MWC and Geneva Motor Show 2020 were canceled due to coronavirus.
