Google temporarily closing China offices amid coronavirus outbreak

Google is temporarily closing its China offices amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, a spokesperson said.

The shutdowns, first reported by The Verge, will affect Google’s offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The company has also placed temporary travel restrictions on workers flying to China and Hong Kong, CNBC reported.

The shutdown comes as other U.S. companies including Facebook and Apple limit work as it tries to mitigate the risk of the virus that’s killed 160 people and infected more than 7,000.

Google has at least four offices in China’s mainland and five in Taiwan, according to Google’s website. The offices in mainland China focus on sales and engineering for its advertising business.