MANILA, Philippines – Due to concerns about the novel coronavirus, Twitter said Thursday, March 12, it is making working from home mandatory for all its employees around the world. 

A TechCrunch report explained Twitter would be helping its employees, including hourly workers and contractors, cover expenses for setting up home offices. Meanwhile, contractors, vendors, and hourly workers who cannot work from home will continue to be paid for their standard working hours during the time the policy remains under effect. The company added it will cover additional daycare expenses should their usual daycare setups close due to the coronavirus.

Aside from the work-from-home scheme, Twitter will also have a virtual support program, called #FlockTalk, where employees can discuss how the “news around COVID-19 is impacting people in number of different ways – from schools and offices being closed, to serious health concerns, to racism towards communities.”

The news expands on earlier recommendations by major tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft for their employees to work from home.

Google also recently expanded its work-from-home directives, advising all its employees in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to work from home due to the coronavirus. 

The World Health Organization has classified the coronavirus as a pandemic. (READ: Novel coronavirus: What makes an outbreak a pandemic?) – Rappler.com