"COVID-19, an Unprecedented Situation" Apple CEO Recommends Remote Work in Korea, Japan, and Others

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] "This is an unprecedented event."

Apple CEO Tim Cook urged employees in South Korea, Japan, Italy, and other locations to work from home as much as possible this week. This measure comes in response to the rapid increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) worldwide.

According to Bloomberg on the 8th (local time), CEO Cook sent a memo to employees recommending working from home from the 9th to the 13th. The memo targeted employees in Santa Clara, the central city of Silicon Valley in the United States; Elk Grove, California, where a tech complex is located; Seattle; and employees in South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Cook referred to these as "high infection areas" and requested, "If possible for work, please work remotely." He also expressed concern about the current situation, calling it an "unprecedented event" and a "challenging moment." The memo also included requests for employees to follow the World Health Organization (WHO) personal guidelines carefully, noting that offices and stores are maintaining social distancing and thorough disinfection to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He mentioned that part-time workers would also be "paid according to their usual work" following the same protocols as Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook. Earlier, other global IT giants such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Microsoft (MS) announced policies recommending remote work for employees in response to the spread of COVID-19.

Apple has also restricted business trips for employees to China, South Korea, Italy, and other countries where COVID-19 cases have surged. Last week, CEO Cook stated that he is monitoring the situations in South Korea and Italy related to COVID-19. Immediately after the outbreak, Apple restricted employee business trips to China and temporarily closed 42 local stores and offices.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.