The Securities and Exchange Commission is telling staff members at its Washington, D.C., headquarters to work from home over concerns that an employee may have coronavirus.
The SEC notified workers via email on Monday, the Washington Post first reported, marking the first time a federal agency has asked staff to do so since the COVID-19 virus began spreading.
According to a spokesperson for the agency, the office may have seen its first possible case of the illness. The employee in question was recently treated for respiratory symptoms and was told it could be coronavirus. The person has not been in the office since Thursday of last week.
“Out of an abundance of caution, effective immediately the SEC is requiring all Headquarters personnel (employees and contractors) who work on the 9th floor to telework,” the email read. “To the best of our knowledge, the employee remained asymptomatic during the employee’s time in the building.”
A statement from the agency confirmed the announcement, reading, “Even with increased telework, the SEC remains able and committed to fully executing its mission on behalf of investors, including monitoring market function and working closely with other regulators and market participants.”
Additionally, several private companies have been encouraging staff in certain areas to work from home, including Amazon, Apple, Twitter, and several newspapers.
The SEC, which employs 4,000 people around the country, acts as a primary regulator of the financial markets, which have been in chaos as the outbreak grows, for the federal government. As of Monday afternoon, the United States had seen more than 600 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. The Dow Jones Industrial index dropped more than 2,000 points earlier in the day.
