- Two Microsoft employees - one at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and another remote LinkedIn worker in the Seattle area - have the illness caused by coronavirus, Microsoft confirmed.
- The Microsoft headquarters employee worked in Building 41 and had close contact with a "small number" of Microsoft employees, according to an email reviewed by Business Insider.
- The LinkedIn employee had no known contact with other employees, per the memo.
- Microsoft previously asked employees in the Seattle area and San Francisco Bay Area who are able to do their jobs remotely to work from home until March 25. Building 41 is safe for employees to return to if they have essential work on-site, the email said.
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Microsoft disclosed two Seattle-area employees have the illness caused by coronavirus, and an email reviewed by Business Insider reveals more details about the affected employees.
Microsoft confirmed on Friday two employees - one who worked in the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and another who worked remotely in the Seattle area for LinkedIn - tested positive for COVID-19 and are in quarantine.
Kurt DelBene, a Microsoft executive vice president, notified employees late Thursday that the employee from Microsoft headquarters worked in Building 41 and had close contact with a "small number of employees." Those employees have been individually notified, DelBene said, and employees who work in the building and have not received a notice from Microsoft are considered at low risk of contracting the illness.
The LinkedIn employee, according to the email, had no known contact with other employees.
Microsoft previously asked employees in the Seattle area and San Francisco Bay Area who are able to do their jobs remotely to work from home until March 25. DelBene in the email said Building 41 is safe for employees to return to if they have essential work on-site.
King County, where Microsoft is based, has become the epicenter of coronavirus in the US. The county has 51 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, and 10 related deaths.
"We are working closely with local public health authorities to provide the necessary support for our colleagues and their co-workers," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. "We continue to provide real-time guidance for employees and take appropriate actions in accordance with public health guidance."
Here's an excerpt of the email DelBene sent to employees:
"I want to let you know that we have the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Microsoft FTE globally - one from LinkedIn and one from Microsoft. Both employees reside in the Puget Sound. One had been in a Microsoft office in the Puget Sound when exposed to symptoms. The other, a LinkedIn employee, had no known contact with other employees while infected, and based on this fact, there is no known risk to those who work at LinkedIn.
The affected employees remain in quarantine, and we are supporting them as they recover. We wish them all the best for a speedy recovery. We will continue to monitor their situation and offer our support.
We have partnered with the health department to identify and notify the small number of employees that were in close contact with the Microsoft individual, who had been in Microsoft Redmond Building 41 (close contact is defined as being closer than 6 feet/1.8 meters for more than 10 minutes). If you have been identified as someone who was in close contact, you would have received an email with further instructions on what to do. The health authorities have advised us that if you were not notified, you are at low risk from this incident.
The building is safe for employees to return to, if you have essential work on campus. If not, please continue to work from home per yesterday's guidance."