Two Amazon employees in Italy have contracted the coronavirus

• Two Amazon employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
• Reuters reported the affected employees are based in Milan, Italy, and are now in quarantine.
• Amazon told Reuters it was unaware of any US employees who had contracted the virus.
• On Friday, the ecommerce giant told all of its 798,000 employees to stop non-essential travel, both within the United States and outside it.
• Business Insider has approached Amazon for comment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Two Amazon employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Reuters reported the affected employees were based in Milan, northern Italy, and are now in quarantine. As well as confirming the Milan-based employees had contracted the virus, Amazon said it was unaware of any US employees who were affected.

The news comes despite Amazon adopting drastic measures in an attempt to prevent contractions among its vast workforce. On Friday, the e-commerce giant asked all of its 798,000 employees to stop non-essential travel, both within the US and outside it.

Amazon had already placed restrictions on travel to and from China in January, telling workers who had been to the country to work from home for a fortnight upon returning and seek medical attention if they showed symptoms. This mirrored prior guidance from other major tech firms like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.

But as the outbreak has spread — killing more than 3,000 people and infecting at least 89,000, with most infections and deaths in China — firms have resorted to additional measures to shield staff.

Facebook's annual developer conference and Mobile World Congress were both canceled over coronavirus fears, while nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition for interactive media conference SXSW to be canceled over the issue. The world's biggest games industry conference, GDC, has been postponed thanks to the virus.

Amazon isn't the only big tech firm whose employees have been affected. On Friday, a Google employee in the company's Zurich office tested positive for the coronavirus.

Business Insider has approached Amazon for comment.

SEE ALSO: The coronavirus death toll has surpassed 3,000, with more than 89,000 infected. The US has reported 2 deaths. Here's everything we know.

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