Google quarantine: Coronavirus fears prompt company to ban visitors in Silicon Valley and New York

Google is self-quarantining. 

In an effort to shield its U.S. workforce from spreading the coronavirus, the internet giant is restricting visitors to its offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco and New York. It says it made the decision based on the recommendations of health officials. 

Employees in those locations have also been told they can work from home.

Google says it has also canceled all in-person interviews to protect job candidates and employees.

The move comes as Google parent Alphabet has created a 24-hour command center so that security teams can help executives monitor developments, as CNBC reported last week. 

"We know this is a very unsettling time for everyone," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a memo to employees.

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The virus showed no signs of slowing its spread across the U.S. Confirmed cases surpassed 600 across more than 30 states and the District of Columbia and the death toll climbed to 26. In San Francisco, city officials confirmed five new cases of coronavirus Monday, for a total of 13.

Major technology companies are increasing steps to protect office workers. On Monday, Amazon asked employees in its New York and New Jersey offices to work remotely if they can until the end of March. The company gave the same directives to its outposts in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Seattle area last week, after an employee in one of its Seattle office tested positive for COVID-19.