Wuhan coronavirus leads Ericsson, LG, Google, Apple, and others to suspend employee travel as WHO declares global health emergency
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Ericsson, LG, Apple, Google, and other major tech companies have restricted employee travel in response the coronavirus outbreak.
The virus has killed more than 100 people and spread to at least 18 countries, prompting many to warn against travel to China.
Companies with a presence in China are halting business travel as a precaution.
Here are the ones who have confirmed travel restrictions so far.
Ericsson and LG have both announced they will not attend the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona this month — the most important trade show for the telecom industry — as fears grow surrounding the spread of the coronavirus.
The virus has already killed more than 630 people, infected 31,000, and spread to at least 25 countries, prompting many countries to warn against travel to China. But after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency, companies are becoming cautious of any unnecessary travel.
Businesses with a significant presence in China have already banned or limited employees from traveling to the country as precaution, with some leaving exceptions for "business critical" travel.
Here's a list of major tech companies who have restricted employee travel so far.
Amazon
"We place tremendous value and focus on the well-being and safety of our employees. Out of an abundance of caution, we are restricting business travel to and from China until further notice and encouraging our employees to follow the health and safety guidelines provided by international health agencies such as the CDC and WHO," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider.
Amazon also said it's approving some exceptions for essential business travel, and that it's telling employees who do travel to affected regions in China to work from home for two weeks before returning to the office and to seek medical attention first if they experience symptoms.
Apple
Yves Herman/Reuters
Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts during an earnings call that the company had restricted employee travel to China except in limited "business-critical situations."
"We're taking additional precautions and frequently deep-cleaning our stores as well as conducting temperature checks for employees," Cook said.
Apple has also closed down its retail stores and corporate offices, and worker quarantines at Foxconn, one of its largest suppliers, could impact Apple's production.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Facebook confirmed to Business Insider that it had halted all non-essential travel to China by its staff. Employees in China were also directed to work from home, according to Bloomberg.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken steps to protect the health and safety of our employees," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Facebook also asked employees who had recently traveled to China to work from home for a period out of caution.
Google has temporarily halted business travel to mainland China and closed its stores, a company spokesperson told The Verge on Wednesday.
Google also told The Verge it would keep its offices closed in accordance with government guidance and is telling employees in China or who have immediate family returning from China to work from home for two weeks.
Microsoft
REUTERS/Stringer
"Based on the evaluation of risk communicated by global health authorities we have advised employees in China to work from home and cancel all non-essential business travel," a Microsoft spokesperson told Forbes.
Airbnb
REUTERS/Issei Kato
Airbnb announced Thursday that hosts and guests impacted by the coronavirus outbreak have the option to cancel reservations at no cost, saying that it was "closely monitoring" news and official guidance about the outbreak.
"In accordance with guidance and recommendations from the World Health Organization, the Chinese government, and other local and health authorities, we have activated our extenuating circumstances policy to offer impacted hosts and guests the option of a cancellation of their reservations without charges," the company said.
Airbnb also said it would continue to evaluate the policy and update it in line with official guidance.
Ericsson
Reuters
The Swedish telecom giant announced in a statement that it would not attend the GSMA Mobile World Conference, the largest trade show for mobile technology and telecom providers, due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, saying that "the health and safety of employees and customers cannot be ensured."
"The health and safety of our employees, customers and other stakeholders are our highest priority. This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We were looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at MWC in Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we strongly believe the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year's event," said Ericsson president and CEO Börje Ekholm.
LG
Reuters
LG announced in a statement that it has "decided to withdraw from participating and exhibiting" in the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona later this month.
"This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders," the company said.
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