Coronavirus hits Google: Employee tests positive

A Google employee has tested positive for the coronavirus and the internet giant is restricting travel amid growing concerns about the spread of the deadly outbreak. 

The employee was in the company’s Zurich office “for a limited time,” and did not have symptoms at the time, Google said in a statement. The Zurich office remains open.

“We have 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,” the company said.

The outbreak has roiled the tech world. Major tech companies from Facebook to Amazon.com are dropping out of industry conferences and restricting travel for employees. 

This week, Facebook announced it would cancel its annual F8 developers conference, citing coronavirus outbreak.

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According to an update on the social network’s Facebook for Developers website, the company said they will use a combination of locally-hosted events, videos and live-streamed content to bring developers together.

Google informed employees by email that a colleague had tested positive for the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, according to Business Insider.

Google has also restricted travel to Iran, two regions in Italy and, starting March, will ban travel to Japan and South Korea. 

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The World Health Organization on Friday increased its coronavirus risk assessment to “very high” as cases outside of China continue to increase. But officials caution the virus can still be contained if the chain of transmission can be broken.