Companies, such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook are going out of the way to keep their workforce safe from the Coronavirus, which has already taken hundreds of lives in China, and has spread to other nations too. Not only has Apple restricted employee travel to China, it has also shut down one retail outlet there and also reduced working hours in other locations. The Company has distributed medical kits to its employees in Wuhan and is regularly keeping track of their temperatures. Amazon too has limited the travel of its employees to and from China, until further notice. Employees who have recently travelled to China have been asked to stay home for a few weeks. Facebook has also asked all the employees who have recently returned from China to work from home for some time.
These restrictions are definitely going to have an adverse effect on these companies’ businesses. Apple’s main supply chain is from China, whereas Facebook’s hardware development occurs in China.
In India, more than a 100 patients suspected to have contracted the virus are being kept under observation in Delhi.
All employees are being encouraged to adhere to the health and safety guidelines being shared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other health organsations.
With companies restricting their employees’ travel to China, many airlines, including the United Airlines Holdings Inc have cancelled their flights to China in response to the sharp drop in demand.