Chrome Central: Apple and Other Tech Companies to Convene With White House Officials About Coronavirus Response

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Executives from Apple and other tech companies will meet Trump administration officials on Wednesday to discuss co-ordination efforts and information sharing to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak, reports Fox Business.

Representatives from Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Twitter are expected to visit the White House on Wednesday, FOX Business has learned. These executives will be joined by officials from government agencies including Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Health and the U.S. Labor Department, to name a few. White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will lead the meeting.

Tech executives will reportedly attend the White House meeting either in person or via video conference.

As the coronavirus spreads, there's been an upsurge of users spreading conspiracy theories on social media and attempts to boost fraudulent "treatments" for the disease. One of the topics of discussion is expected to include finding effective ways to fight coronavirus-related misinformation being spread online.

It's also expected that remote working options for employees will be discussed. Google on Tuesday issued one of the most sweeping cautionary measures by tech companies so far, recommending that all its employees in North America work from home until at least April 10 amid the viral outbreak.

Meanwhile, Apple has reportedly encouraged its employees in Cupertino and many other locations to work from home this week if possible. Another report this week claimed that Apple has offered its retail employees and some other hourly workers unlimited sick leave if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, with no doctor's note required.

As of Wednesday, there are 119,357 global cases of the coronavirus with over 1,000 in the U.S. On a global basis there have been 4,290 fatalities as tracked by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Tag: COVID-19 Coronavirus

This article, "Apple and Other Tech Companies to Convene With White House Officials About Coronavirus Response" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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