Amazon is asking its employees to defer all “non-essential” travel across the U.S. and abroad in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that is spreading globally. Amazon started restricting business travel to China, the epicenter of the epidemic, in late January.
- An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the employee notice to GeekWire after the New York Times first spotted it.
- The coronavirus outbreak has been rocking financial markets and compelling members of the global tech industry to cancel conferences and mitigate against supply chain issues. Much of the hardware manufacturing that powers the American technology industry is done in China.
- The virus is impacting other large technology companies, like Microsoft and Expedia, as well as startups in the Seattle region.