Coronavirus outbreak: Google launches SOS Alert with WHO, to show helpful tips in result page

The search giant has announced that when users will search for ‘Coronavirus’ or related topics on the website, they will see safety tips, info, resources & Twitter updates from WHO on top of the result page.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai (REUTERS)

With Coronavirus outbreak taking a serious turn and WHO (World Health Organisation) announcing it as a global public health emergency, Google is doing its bit to help users access safety tips, info, resources and more from WHO more easily and quickly. The search giant has announced that when users will search for 'Coronavirus' or related topics on the website, they will see safety tips, info, resources & Twitter updates from WHO on top of the result page. The firm has also announced a $250,000 direct grant from its Google.org arm for the Chinese Red Cross to support Coronavirus relief.

 

To help support relief efforts, @Googleorg issued a $250,000 direct grant to the Chinese Red Cross. Additionally we launched an internal campaign inviting Googlers to donate. So far, https://t.co/ldmgae16C7 and Googlers have raised over $800K USD (3.5M rmb).

— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) January 30, 2020

Google confirmed on Wednesday that it is temporarily shutting down all its offices in China due to the Coronavirus outbreak. This affects all Google offices present in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is added that the office placed in mainland China handle's the company's sales and engineering for the advertising business.

However, the outbreak is not just affecting China but also the US , France, Germany, UAE and Australia. For those unaware, companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, LG and Razr have restricted their employees from travelling to China. Apple has also shuttered its retail stores in China. The iPhone maker is also frequently deep-cleaning its stores and conducting temperature checks for employees as added precautionary measures.

Foxconn, the company that manufactures Apple products, has reportedly asked its employees who went to Taiwan for the Chinese new year, to not return to its facility placed in Wuhan. "While our sales within the Wuhan area itself are small, retail traffic has also been impacted outside of this area, across the country in the last few days," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement while announcing that it was closing one of its retail stores in China.

Some other major companies are also expected to be hit by Coronavirus soon.