An internal memo from SAP India was making the rounds of the internet, creating doubts on whether it is true or not. The notice was to inform its employees about the H1N1 flu and asking them to work from home from Feb. 20 till Feb. 28, 2020.
The viral memo seemed authentic in its appearance. The notice said that "few cases of H1N1 (swine flu)" were reported out of Ecoworld office. Due to this, the company decided to shut its office floors in Bengaluru to carry out extensive sanitization and remedial measures.
This is to keep you informed that there are few cases of H1N1 (Swine Flu) reported out of Ecoworld office. Considering the situation, we encourage you to work from home beginning tomorrow (Feb 20) till Feb 28, 2020.
Here are the contents of SAP India's internal memo:
We are monitoring the situation closely and will take the following remedial measures.
- Sanitization of 6th - 10th floors tonight in Ecoworld office
- Complete fumigation and extensive sanitization of 6th - 10th floors in the next 2 days
If anyone of you or your family members have any symptoms of cold, cough with fever please seek medical advice. In this situation, your understanding and cooperation is highly appreciated. For any clarification, please write to saphealthforlife@global.corp.sap
The health of our employees is our priority and it is critical that we provide the current information and guidance to help limit the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Thank you,
SAP Crisis management team
Fact check
In order to verify if the memo was legit, we reached out to SAP India for clarification. In an email statement to International Business Times, India, SAP India not only confirmed that the content of the memo was legit but also said that two of its employees were tested positive for H1N1 swine flu.
In light of this, SAP has closed its offices in Bangalore, Gurgaon and Mumbai for extensive sanitization. IN the meantime, employees are asked to work from home and the company urged not to ignore the symptoms of the virus.
"Two SAP India employees based in Bangalore (RMZ Ecoworld office) have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Detailed contact tracing that the infected colleagues may have come into contact with is underway. The health of our employees and their families is of utmost priority, as a precautionary measure, all the SAP Offices across Bangalore, Gurgaon and Mumbai have been closed for extensive sanitization, and all SAP employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home till further notice," SAP India told International Business Times, India.
