Google announces company holiday on May 22 to stem virus burnout

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that May 22 will be an official holiday for everyone who’s supposed to work that day.

Google has told most employees to keep working from home for the rest of 2020 as part of a response by the tech giants to the deadly coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday it has asked employees to take a day off on May 22, to address work-from-home-related burnout during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai announced the move in a memo to employees on late Thursday, which was first reported by CNBC.

Google said it would begin reopening more offices globally as early as June, but most Google employees would likely work from home until the end of this year.

Facebook Inc also said on Friday it would allow workers who are able to work remotely to do so until the end of 2020.

The virus, which has infected more than 3.9 million people globally so far, has forced strict lockdowns in most countries and changed the way businesses function, with work from home emerging as the new norm.