Indeed has asked its 1,000 Dublin staff to work from home over fears that a colleague may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Indeed has asked staff in its Dublin office to work from home over fears that one of its employees could have potentially contracted coronavirus from family members. In an email seen by Siliconrepublic.com, the recruitment firm said the decision to close the office for up to a week is due to a situation with one of its employees based in Singapore.

The employee’s family are currently being tested for coronavirus after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia. The email said that it is not yet known if the employee’s family have the coronavirus, with results expected in the next 48 hours.

The concern is that a number of staff members who had visited the Singapore office had also recently visited the Dublin and Sydney offices. There have been no confirmed cases of any Indeed employees contracting the virus, but the office closures are seen as “an abundance of caution” in the event the virus could spread among staff.

Global concerns

“We are deeply concerned about this family and are in close communication with this employee, and are ensuring that they are getting the care and support they need,” Indeed told staff.

“The Indeed employee is still feeling fine, and we will continue to connect with them throughout the company days.”

Indeed has confirmed that it asked staff in Dublin and Sydney to work from home.

The news comes as the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the discovery of confirmed cases of coronavirus in people who have not travelled to China might be just the “tip of the iceberg”.

The latest figures from the WHO show that more than 40,000 people have been infected with the virus, which has killed at least 908. Yesterday (9 February), China reported that 97 people had died that day, marking the greatest number of deaths from the virus in a single day.

China’s lockdown of businesses and public spaces has been lifted today, with workers slowly returning to work.