Two Microsoft workers based in the Seattle area have contracted the novel coronavirus, the company said.
One of the employees works out of Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash. headquarters campus and came into close contact with several co-workers, who have been notified of the situation. The other is a remote LinkedIn employee, and the company determined the person didn’t have any contact with other Microsoft or LinkedIn staff.
Both of the workers have been quarantined, the company said.
“We have learned that a Microsoft employee and a LinkedIn employee, both in Puget Sound, are among those diagnosed with COVID-19,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “We are working closely with local public health authorities to provide the necessary support for our colleagues and their co-workers. We continue to provide real-time guidance for employees and take appropriate actions in accordance with public health guidance.”
Bloomberg first reported on the Microsoft cases.
The Seattle area has become ground zero for the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 70 confirmed cases and 11 deaths as of Thursday, Washington state health officials said. To try and blunt the spread of the disease, Microsoft and many other companies are telling employees to work from home for the next several weeks.
This week, workers at both Amazon and Facebook have tested positive for the virus. And a Seattle-area school district has shut down for up to two weeks, with plans to move classes online.
The company employs nearly 54,000 people in the Seattle region, most of them at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with Microsoft’s statement.
