Google Asks All North American Employees To Work From Home As Coronavirus Spreads

Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOG subsidiary Google LLC has asked all of its employees in the North American countries to work from home in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Business Insider reported Tuesday.

What Happened

Confirming the news to the Insider, Google said the offices would remain open for the employees whose work required them to be present in office, and all other workers have been asked to work remotely.

The company had previously asked only its employees in the San Francisco and Seattle offices to work from home.

"Contributing to social [distancing,] if you are able to, helps [curb] the overall community spread," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a statement.

"[Most] importantly, [it] will help offset the peak loads through critical healthcare systems and also [save] it for people in [need] (based on expert advice). Please contribute if you are able to," Pichai added.

Why It Matters

Alphabet's move comes at a time when 11 states have declared a state of emergency to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 1,037 by press time, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, including 28 deaths.

A number of technology companies, including Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, Facebook Inc. FB, Twitter Inc. TWTR, Apple Inc. AAPL, and Microsoft Corporation MSFT have advised employees in worst-affected areas to work from home, but none has established as far as reaching a policy as Google.

Price Action

Alphabet Class A shares closed 4.88% higher at $1,275.17 on Tuesday. Class C shares closed 5.33% higher at $1,280.39.