A Google worker has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and the online search company is banning travel in the midst of increasing worries about the virus' rapid spread. The employee was in the firm's office in Zurich, Switzerland for a brief moment, and did not show any symptoms at the time, Google disclosed.
The California-headquartered Internet firm said that the employee was not symptomatic while visiting the Zurich office, which remains open. The company is restricting its personnel from traveling to Iran, including two Italian regions where the coronavirus is reportedly spreading. Starting March 2, Google said it would also impose travel bans to Japan and South Korea.
The outbreak has disrupted the tech markets. Major tech conglomerates from Amazon.com to social media giant Facebook are withdrawing from industry gatherings and imposing travel restrictions for employees. Facebook announced this week that it would suspend its annual F8 Developers Conference, citing the epidemic.
Since the novel coronavirus crisis broke out in December, almost 83,000 people have been inflicted, and over 2,700 have died. Google is continuing to ban travel to China unless personnel is coming back home, and all international travel in the next three months will require strict evaluation. Google is reportedly canceling its Google News Initiative Summit in San Francisco, a conference focusing on the media industry.
On Friday, the World Health Organization elevated its epidemic risk assessment to "very high" as cases outside China continue to escalate. But health authorities warn the coronavirus can still be controlled if the chain of transmission can be cut. China, although hardest hit, has seen lower figures of new cases, with 327 more reported as of Friday, bringing the government's total to 78,825.
Companies around the world are enforcing measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19. Amazon, which has around 800,000 workers, has begun prohibiting all non-essential employee travel in the US and has banned all travel to China until further notice. Uber on Friday also banned travel for workers to China, Iran, and some areas in South Korea and Italy.
Meanwhile, the US stock market has officially crashed into correction zone - at the fastest pace ever registered - succumbing to its worst drop since the 2008 financial turmoil this week amid ongoing paranoia caused by the coronavirus and its effect on the global economy. In the past days alone, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged to a total of 15 percent, the S&P 500 by 14 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite by 13 percent.
