Google is the latest company to curb employee travel

The Google logo is seen at the “Station F” start up campus in Paris, France by REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Google is the latest company to cancel a big event and curb employee travel as the global spread of the coronavirus outbreak has struck fear across the business world.

The tech company called off its flagship developers conference, called I/O, which was scheduled for May in Mountain View, Calif. Last year, the three-day event drew 7,000 attendees.

Google said the decision was “due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities.” People who already bought tickets to I/O will get full refunds.

The company said it would look for ways to “evolve” the event, raising the possibility of livestreamed or remote sessions. Several other companies and organizations, including the World Bank and the IMF, said they would replace in-person gatherings and meetings with virtual ones.

Google has also halted all international travel for employees after previously restricting travel to China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Last week, the company said an employee in its Zurich office had tested positive for the new coronavirus.

An Amazon employee at the company’s Seattle headquarters has tested positive for the virus. Amazon said it is “supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine.” Two employees in Milan have also contracted the virus.

Companies across industries are clamping down on travel and avoiding events and conferences as fears over the spreading outbreak escalate. Some companies, such as Twitter, are urging or even requiring employees to work from home.

The restrictions are expected to affect the travel sector as well as the broader economy and cities and their vendors that rely on events to bring in revenue. Stocks of airlines, hotel groups and cruise lines have all taken a sharp hit in recent weeks.

The U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, expects international travel into the U.S. to drop 6% over the next three months — the steepest fall since the 2008 financial crisis.

“There is a lot of uncertainty around coronavirus,” said Roger Dow, the association’s president, in a statement. “It is pretty clear that it is having an effect on travel demand — not just from China, and not just internationally, but for domestic business and leisure travel as well.”