Google establishes a COVID-19 fund

As of Monday, the number of coronavirus cases in the US was at 647. Of these, 25 cases have resulted in deaths. The COVID-19 is spreading all over the world at a rapid pace. Businesses across the globe are now taking preventative measures to avoid further spread of the virus.

Last week, SundarPichai, CEO of Google wrote in a blog post that the company has set up a 24-hour incident response team to “stay in sync with the WHO.” Moreover, the company’s leaders are also meeting every day to make important decisions about their offices in conjunction with the virus outbreak. The company even sent out a memo to its staff recommending some offices to work remotely.

Now, the company has extended the suggestion to its employees across North America. The IT services and search engine giant has also set up a COVID-19 fund for its temporary staff and vendors. The fund has been set up to help these employees to take paid sick leave if they have the potential symptoms of COVID-19 or in case they have been quarantined for the same.

Google on its blog post wrote: “Working with our partners, this fund will mean that members of our extended workforce will be compensated for their normal working hours if they can’t come into work for these reasons. We are carefully monitoring the situation and will continue to assess any adjustments needed over the coming months.”