Elaine Thompson/AP
- Amazon has instructed its 798,000 employees to avoid "non-essential travel" domestically and internationally due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.
- Earlier, The New York Times reported that Amazon had told its worldwide operations team not to arrange any meetings requiring travel until at least April, the report said.
- Amazon had already restricted employee travel to China and has been frantically trying to address potential inventory shortages.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Amazon told all 798,000 of its employees on Friday to avoid "non-essential travel" domestically and internationally due to concerns about the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to Business Insider.
Earlier on Friday, The New York Times reported that employees on Amazon's worldwide operations team, which oversees much of the company's technology and logistics globally, were given the travel guidance, due to concerns of exposure to COVID-19,
Amazon's senior vice president in charge of the team, Dave Clark, told employees in an email not to plan any meetings requiring travel until at least April, when the company hoped to have a better sense of the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the report said.
Amazon has already told employees not to travel to China and told workers who have been to the region to from home for two weeks upon returning and to seek medical attention if they show symptoms. The company has also been working frantically to stock up on inventory as concerns grow about how its supply chain could be affected.
NOW WATCH: Why it's so hard for planes to land on water
See Also:
- This $1,000-a-year prepper community says it has seen 'huge surge in interest' due to coronavirus — see inside
- A Southern California city is barring people who were on the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship from entering its town
- People are selling books on Amazon claiming Satan and biological warfare caused the coronavirus. Amazon says it's giving customers a variety of viewpoints.
