Following the coronavirus outbreak, Google is shutting down offices in mainland China and is placing restrictions on travel to China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan because of the health threat.
The tech giant will close all offices in Mainland China, including Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. Google’s offices in China are already closed for the extended Lunar New Year Holiday up until February 2. The government encourages residents to avoid travel in order to reduce the spread of the virus.
The company also advises its employees who are currently in China or have any immediate relatives or family members there to return as soon as possible and work from home for at least 14 days. The offices of Google that are situated in China primarily focus on engineering and sales for the company’s advertising business.
Google has already issued a $250,000 grant to the Chinese Red Cross, and launched an internal fundraiser.
To date, coronavirus killed 170 people and infected more than 7,000. The cases have been recorded in the USA, Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
