Despite the lack of direct instructions from the Chinese Government to halt business operations in the mainland, several international companies have taken initiatives to temporarily close their outlets in order to help control the spread of the coronavirus as well as to protect their employees.
The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 200 Chinese and infected nearly 10,000 people globally.
But reports claim that virus stricken-China has yet to take tougher crackdown to stop the spread of the outbreak especially in populous areas like manufacturing plants and commercial spaces.
Seeing the continues development of the pandemic, automobile and technology giants were quick to respond by suspending operations.
General Motors was among the giant car manufacturers that recently announced plant closures in China until February 9 following the lockdowns implemented by the Chinese government.
Japanese firm Toyota has likewise disclosed that its production outlets will resume operations on February 10 and noted that they are now in the process of evaluating their supply chain.
Several carmakers in Wuhan have earlier announced extended closures and plans to send their workers outside China.
Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, is one of China’s motor cities for it houses numerous, major auto plants including Europe’s Groupe PSA.
Meanwhile, American tech giants Amazon, Google and Microsoft, have taken similar actions in support of China’s measure to combat the deadly virus.
Google announced the temporary closure of all its offices not only in mainland China but also in Hong Kong and Taiwan which have also reported cases of the virus.
The company also urges its staff to evacuate China if possible and gave them the leeway to work from home for at least two weeks.
Although Google’s search engine is banned in China, the technology firm maintains four offices in the country which focuses on sales and engineering for its commercial businesses.
For its part, Amazon said it is provisionally restricting business travel to and from China and advising its workers to observe the coronavirus prevention tips.
Microsoft also told workers to defer non-essential trips to the mainland. It was also reported that the company would donate 1 million RMB to the Hubei Red Cross Foundation for relief efforts.
