According to the sources a fifth person in Karnataka diagnosed with coronavirus (Covid-19) has been identified as an employee of Google. Not just Google, various other firms ask employees to work from home
A Google employee test positive for COVID-19
The tech giant Google itself confirmed the news saying that one of its employees in the Bengaluru office has tested positive for the Covid-19 and the firm has directed all its employees in that office to work from home today as a precautionary measure.
“We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
His colleagues under the watch
The firm has also asked the colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to go through a health checkup.
“We have asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to isolate themselves and monitor their health,” the statement said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking employees in that Bangalore office to work from home tomorrow. 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,” it said.
Besides all this, it remains to be seen whether Google would be temporarily closing down the premises amid coronavirus scare.
Till now, there have been fourth known cases of coronavirus among tech workers, which includes employees at Paytm, Mindtree and Dell India, who were also confirmed to be positive.
What other companies are doing?
Previously, it was Amazon who announced that employees can work from home amid COVID-19. They also assured that the employees will be paid despite not appearing in the office.
Following the move, Flipkart, UBER India, Ola too has conducted a work-from-home for three days for its employees working in Bengaluru.
Moreover, Walmart company has made it mandatory for its employees, who operate out of its corporate headquarters in the city, to work from home for three days.
Several companies like Swiggy, BYJU’s and Udaan are also recommending work-from-home in the city as companies take measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
