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Biogen Inc. has ordered all staff to work from home until further notice, as part of a sweeping round of measures implemented after employees who attended a management meeting in Boston tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Biogen BIIB, +0.07% had about 7,400 employees worldwide as of Dec. 31, according to its latest 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, located in Massachusetts; Research Triangle Park in North Carolina; and Baar, Switzerland.
There are 13 confirmed cases of the virus in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Health Department, a majority of them connected to Biogen and the meeting it held late last month at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel.
About 175 people attended the meeting, including Chief Executive Michel Vounatsos and workers from the Swiss operation, the company told MarketWatch.
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In a statement, the biotech giant said it has informed all workers who attended the meeting and are symptomatic that they will be contacted by the public health authorities to be tested and that they must self-quarantine.
“Additionally, these employees are being asked to isolate from the people they live with (e.g. family members, loved ones or roommates) until further notice, and these close contacts must also be quarantined until further notice,” the company said in a statement.
Workers who are not showing symptoms of the virus are being asked to stay in quarantine until further notice, and the people with whom they live are being advised to avoid social interaction and to work at home.
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Two schools in Wellesley, Mass., closed early Friday, because a student’s parent who attended the Biogen meeting had tested positive, according to media reports.
Biogen shares have risen 3% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 SPX, -1.70% has gained 8%.
