Microsoft revealed the first known cases of its employees affected by COVID-19. In this way, it joins other technology giants. Such as Amazon.com and Facebook, which revealed that there are cases of the disease in their ranks.
On Wednesday of this week, the WHO issued a statement. In the statement, it said that the virus had become a pandemic. According to the organization, as of March 11, 118,000 cases had been reported. These in 114 countries, as well as the death of 4,291 people.
Two Microsoft employees affected by COVID-19
Microsoft reported two employees, one working at its main campus in Redmond, Washington. As well as a remote LinkedIn worker, they contracted COVID-19. Both are in quarantine, a company representative said.
“We are working closely with local public health authorities to provide the necessary support for our colleagues and their co-workers,” a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement.
One of the two employees worked at Microsoft’s main campus. He came into close contact with a small number of fellow staff members. They were notified of the situation to prevent them. The company has also determined that the second employee had no contact with people. Neither at Microsoft nor in its LinkedIn unit. The company had already asked its employees to work from home until March 25. This orientation remains unchanged according to the new cases of affected people.
On the other hand, Google indicated to its Bay Area employees that they can work from home due to the virus. The voluntary policy applies to the headquarters in Mountain View, California. As well as the campuses in Sunnyvale and San Francisco.
Last week, Google canceled its flagship conference. An event in May called I/O, which brings together thousands of people from around the world who partner with or create applications and websites for Google’s digital services. All this as a preventive measure in the face of the considered COVID-19 pandemic. Microsoft also wants to help with the ravages of the disease. For this reason, it offers 6 months free in its Team teleworking tool.
