Facebook Closes London Offices After Visit From Employee With Virus

By Sarah E. Needleman

Facebook Inc. said it closed its three offices in London after an employee tested positive for the new coronavirus, adding to a string of recent workplace closures sparked by the virus's spread worldwide.

The infected employee is based in Singapore but was last week visiting the company's offices in London, which employ roughly 3,000 people, a Facebook spokesman said.

The facilities will be closed until Monday for deep cleaning and employees are working from home until then, the spokesman said. In addition, any employees who had direct contact with the infected person have been asked to self-isolate and be vigilant in monitoring symptoms, he added.

The closure comes after Facebook on Wednesday said an employee in Seattle was diagnosed with the disease caused by the new coronavirus. That office is now closed and Facebook has encouraged its roughly 5,000 employees in the Seattle area to work from home through March 31, as well as those in its San Francisco Bay Area offices.

Several other large technology companies, including Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc., have also recently closed offices after employees tested positive for the virus.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 06, 2020 13:52 ET (18:52 GMT)

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