TSMC implements remote working after employee tests covid-19 positive

30 other employees have been asked to enter quarantine while the infected member of staff has been taken to hospital for treatment.

Additional measures include the halting of all non-essential overseas travel for the next month and asking that employees work split shifts to reduce infection risks.

The remote working policy is reportedly optional, but encouraged. It’s currently unknown how many of the company’s 40,000 Taiwan-based workforce will take advantage of the policy.

Workers eligible for the policy will work from home until April 12. Last month the chip manufacturer said it would not be revising its sales expectations in the face of the pandemic.

Notably, Taiwan’s response to the virus has been much more effective than many surrounding nations and particularly in comparison to Europe and the U.S.

According to the country’s CDC, as of 27 March, confirmed cases sit at just 267, with only two deaths.

This is suggested, in a report from the Journal of the American Medical Association, to be the result of a robust set of measures implemented early by government.

The 124 separate safety protocols include rapid screening of all flights from Wuhan and strict quarantine with severe sanctions attached.