Four days after employees at tech giant Broadcom were told to report to work against public health orders, the San Jose-based company closed its offices Friday due to a worker's possible coronavirus infection.
Broadcom on Friday afternoon provided an update, reporting the employee's test results are negative.
In a letter to employees, the company said out of an abundance of caution, additional deep cleaning will be conducted at its Ridder Park site. The building will remain closed through the weekend and reopen Monday.
Earlier this week, a Broadcom employee told NBC Bay Area many of the people who were reporting to work at the Silicon Valley giant were non-essential workers.
The employee, who did not want to be identified in fear of retribution, said all workers had been effectively doing their jobs from home. The employee also said Broadcom ordered employees to return in staggered shifts -- 25% of the workforce per week.
"This introduces a level of uncertainty because you have to leave home when you don't know what the risks are," the employee said.
In a letter addressed to employees and contractors Thursday, Broadcom said one of its employees working in the Ridder Park office in Building 2 was "exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19."
The letter goes on to say all the workers in "the Team A shift" must work from home starting Friday, the site would undergo a deep cleaning over the weekend and the building would reopen Monday for "the Team B shift."
Broadcom is a chipmaker and is deemed an essential business. But the argument from critics is that the company is allegedly putting non-essential employees at risk by forcing them to show up to work. The Colorado Sun reports a similar move by Broadcom in its Colorado offices.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department said any concerned employee can contact them.
