Facebook confirms that a contractor at its Seattle office tested positive for coronavirus

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Facebook on Wednesday confirmed that a contractor at its Seattle, Washington, office tested positive for coronavirus.
The Seattle office is closed until Monday, March 9, and employees are being encouraged to work from home until March 31.
The announcement comes a day after Amazon confirmed that one of its employees in Seattle tested positive for coronavirus.
The US has reported more than 150 COVID-19 cases, including 39 cases of the virus and 10 deaths in Washington state.
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Facebook confirmed on Wednesday that a contractor at its Seattle location tested positive for COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

"A contractor based in our Stadium East office has been diagnosed with the COVID-19," Anthony Harrison, Facebook company spokesperson, told Business Insider's Rob Price. "We've notified our employees and are following the advice of public health officials to prioritize everyone's health and safety."

No further details were provided on when the contractor tested positive for the disease and if other employees came into contact with the individual.

The Seattle office is closed until Monday, March 9, and employees are being encouraged to work from home until March 31.

The announcement comes a day after Amazon confirmed that one of its employees in Seattle tested positive for coronavirus.

In an email to employees in Seattle and Bellevue, Amazon's health and safety office confirmed that an employee of the company's Brazil office building, which is part of the South Lake Union Campus in Seattle, had contracted the virus.

"The employee went home feeling unwell on Tuesday, February 25 and has not entered Amazon offices since then," the email said.

The employee remains in quarantine, the email wrote, and employees who were in close contact with the person were notified.

Two Amazon employees in Milan, Italy, also tested positive for the virus.

Several US tech companies are enforcing strict travel laws in order to prevent the spread of disease. Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have put restrictions on its employees flying to and from China.

The US has reported more than 150 COVID-19 cases, including 39 cases of the virus and 10 deaths in Washington state. Globally, the virus has killed more than 3,250 people and infected more than 95,000.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency last month after the first coronavirus death was confirmed.

"Washingtonians can be assured we've taken this threat seriously and have been working in collaboration with our health care partners to develop plans and procedures to prepare for what could likely be a worldwide pandemic," Inslee said.

Rob Price contributed to this reporting.

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