London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Facebook shuts down London offices over Covid-19 after visiting Singapore employee tests positive

Facebook shuts down London offices over Covid-19 after visiting Singapore employee tests positive

Facebook has shut down its three London offices until Monday after a Singapore-based staff member who’d visited two weeks earlier was diagnosed with coronavirus, the social media company confirmed.
"An employee based in our Singapore office who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 visited our London offices February 24-26, 2020,” a Facebook spokesperson told Sky News on Friday, explaining that all three London offices would be closed for “deep cleaning” and employees would be “working from home” until they reopened on Monday.

While Facebook declined to say how many individuals the infected employee had potentially exposed through direct contact – some 3,000 people work for the social media behemoth in London – the platform insisted it had notified all of them. It is reportedly reaching out to other visiting employees and contractors who’ve passed through its London sites in the past few days in order to alert them to the possible risk.

Affected employees have been advised to “self-isolate” and monitor potential symptoms closely. Coronavirus can take as long as two weeks to make its presence felt, and while an infected person might feel healthy, they can still infect others. The UK saw a jump in coronavirus cases since Thursday, with 47 new diagnoses confirmed in the preceding 24 hours – bringing the total number of infected up to 163. While two deaths have been linked to the virus, according to Sky, the second victim was in his 80s and had underlying health conditions; doctors are still waiting for the return of tests to confirm the presence of coronavirus.

The total shutdown mirrors Facebook’s actions in Seattle, where an employee who was last at work on February 21 was diagnosed on Wednesday with the virus. Facebook informed its workers that the office would close until March 9, ordering them to telecommute until then. Others were informed they’d be working from home until the end of the month. The company had already curtailed social guests to its offices as a precaution, and recently called off the in-person part of its annual 5,000-person developer convention in San Francisco. The states of California and Washington have declared emergencies over the outbreak, which has sickened 233 people in the US so far and killed 14.

Facebook isn’t the first company in London to clear out offices as a precaution after an employee turned up sick. HSBC evacuated its Canary Wharf offices on Thursday, sending staff off to work from home, and Deloitte also sent employees home earlier this week after a staffer tested positive for the virus. Over 3,400 people have died since the start of the coronavirus epidemic in December in Wuhan, China, and more than 100,000 have been infected with the virus.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×