A contractor based in Facebook’s Seattle office tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Business Insider.
Facebook confirmed Wednesday that the contractor at their Stadium East office had been infected with the virus, and told Business Insider that the company has “notified our employees and are following the advice of public health officials to prioritize everyone’s health and safety.”
BREAKING: A @Facebook contractor in Seattle has been diagnosed with #coronavirus #covid19. The person was last in the office on Friday, Feb. 21. The office, Stadium East, will close until Monday. Company statement: pic.twitter.com/H6JpVrVXoy
— Ted Land (@TedLandK5) March 5, 2020
The Seattle office is closed until Monday, March 9 and employees are being encouraged to work from home, Business Insider reported. (RELATED: Here’s How To Prepare For The Coronavirus)
Seattle is scrambling to contain the virus. 11 people in the U.S. have died from the virus as of Thursday, all but one of them in Washington, according to CBS News. Several of the Washington deaths were reported from a county about 20 minutes away from downtown Seattle, which has been described as a “ghost town” by residents as the city prepares for what could be a devastating economic impact, NBC News reported.
SEATTLE, WA – MARCH 03: A utility service worker deep cleans a bus as part of usual cleaning routine at the King County Metro Atlantic/Central operating base on March 3, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
Amazon announced Tuesday that one of its employees in Seattle had tested positive for coronavirus, and the company asked all of its nearly 800,000 employees to stop non-essential travel inside the U.S. and abroad, according to Business Insider. Other tech companies like Apple, Google and Facebook have also adopted strict travel guidelines to try and prevent the virus from reaching their employees.
As of Thursday morning, at least 158 people who have been infected with the coronavirus were being treated in 17 states, according to the New York Times.