Nike is asking its workers in the U.S. to work from home, if they can, as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads further.
"Based on guidance from government and health authorities, we are encouraging U.S.-based Nike employees to work from home starting Monday, March 16 through March 31, if their job allows," a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.
"Nike's World Headquarters located in Beaverton, Oregon will remain open during this time," the person added. "We will continue to monitor developments and make decisions that prioritize the safety of our teammates as necessary."
As of May 31, 2019, Nike employed roughly 76,700 employees worldwide, according to SEC filings. It has about 12,600 employees at its Oregon headquarters alone. It has offices in other cities in the U.S., including in New York.
Nike joins a long list of corporations that have asked their employees to do the same, with the number of COVID-19 cases growing and impacting more and more lives.
Amazon on Thursday told all of its employees around the world to stay home if they can do their jobs from home.Â
AT&T is also asking all of its employees who have the ability to work remotely to do so until further notice. AT&T is one of the largest employers in the U.S., and has 245,000 global employees.
As of Friday, there were more than 135,000 known cases of coronavirus globally, including nearly 5,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there have been at least 1,700 known cases, with at least 40 deaths.
— CNBC's Jessica Golden contributed to this reporting.
