Microsoft, Amazon Ask New York Employees to Stay Home

By Chip Cutter and Dana Mattioli

Add Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. to the growing list of employers urging staffers in New York to stay at home over the next few weeks as the coronavirus outbreak intensifies.

Microsoft is recommending that employees based in New York work from home through March 25, the company confirmed to The Wall Street Journal. Last week the company issued guidance to its Seattle area employees asking them to work from home when possible and advising those still needed in open office spaces to stay 6 feet away from others and avoid prolonged interaction with colleagues.

"The health and safety of our employees is our top priority at Microsoft. We are providing real-time guidance to employees in all affected regions. We will continue to monitor the situation and take action as necessary to help protect employees," a Microsoft company spokeswoman said.

Amazon.com Inc. on Monday advised its employees in New York and New Jersey to work from home from March 10 until the end of the month, if possible. Last week, the company made a similar announcement to employees at its headquarters in Seattle. Amazon's New York and New Jersey offices have employees in divisions such as marketing, fashion, advertising and cloud-computing, as well as its Audible division.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 09, 2020 15:54 ET (19:54 GMT)

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