Coronavirus Outbreak: Amazon techie tests positive; Intel employee quarantined in Bengaluru

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Coronavirus Scare: Online retailer Amazon Inc has confirmed that one of its employee in the United States texted positive for the coronavirus. While tech giant Intel has said one of its employees in Bengaluru has "potentially been exposed" to coronavirus and is currently under quarantine.

"We're supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine," a Amazon spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.

The spokeswoman confirmed a report by Bloomberg News that all co-workers in contact with the employee, who worked at Amazon's South Lake Union office complex in Seattle, had been informed.

Intel has also said it has implemented precautionary measures like travel restrictions, increased frequency of office sanitisation, and work-from-home provisions in India.

"An Intel employee in Bangalore has potentially been exposed and is currently under quarantine in accordance with government requirements," Intel said in a late night statement on Tuesday.

"In India, we have implemented precautionary measures such as travel and event restrictions, visitor screenings at all our offices, increased frequency of office sanitisation, and work-from-home provisions," it said.

Meanwhile, microblogging platform Twitter has asked its employees to work from home while other tech giants like Tata Consultancy Services and HCL Technologies instructed staff to avoid non-essential travel as IT firms put in place measures to safeguard workers against the deadly coronavirus.

The coronavirus outbreak claimed over 3,000 lives globally, and fresh cases being reported in India.

The government has stepped up its efforts to detect and check the virus outbreak whose epicentre was in China.

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