Covid-19 Fear Leads Twitter To Encourage Work From Home For Its 5000 Employees

Twitter has told its 5,000-strong workforce globally to work from home – making it mandatory for employees based in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea offices – as new coronavirus (COVID-19) spread in new territories.

The micro-blogging platform which has already put restrictions on non-essential travel said that US offices would still be open for employees who feel the need to come in person.

“We are working to make sure internal meetings, all hands, and other important tasks are optimized for remote participation,” Twitter added.

Working from home will be mandatory for employees based in Twitter’s Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea offices due in part to government restrictions.

“While this is a big change for us, we have already been moving towards a more distributed workforce that’s increasingly remote,” Twitter said.

Earlier, Twitter said that it would also restrict all nonessential business travel for its employees and partners.

“Our goal is to reduce the risk that anyone at Twitter might contract or inadvertently spread the virus. It is important that we take these proactive steps to protect ourselves and others and minimize the spread of COVID-19,” it added.