THOUSANDS of staff at tech giant Google’s Dublin headquarters have been told to work from home tomorrow as a staff member – who presented with flu-like symptoms – is being tested for the new coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the search engine company said the majority of the company's 8,000-strong Irish workforce – based at its sprawling campus in the Dublin docklands – are to work from home tomorrow.

However, the company insisted the measure is to 'test' the ability of workers to work remotely.

"We continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and as part of that effort we have asked our Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow," the spokesperson said.

A source said the worker in question has not tested positive or negative for coronavirus yet. It is believed to be unlikely the worker has the coronavirus but "out of an abundance of caution" staff have been told to work from home and to monitor their health.

The move affects all of Google staff apart from those based in the firm's data centres in Sandyford and Eastpoint.

The so-called 'Work From Home' day is being conducted to test "operational readiness" and ensure the company's "ability to perform at full capacity in case of an extended period", the source said.

"This is not the first Google office we have closed for a day or more — we have been doing this for some time now as we prioritise worker safety and manage a dynamic situation," the source added.

The move by Google comes as the the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) today confirmed the risk of widespread sustained transmission of coronavirus in the EU and UK in the coming weeks as moderate to high.

The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet again tomorrow to evaluate the international situation and consider Ireland’s ongoing preparedness.

People have been urged to follow public health advice by washing their hands regularly and covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough and sneeze.

Online Editors