Dell Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Visiting HQ

Dell Technologies confirms to CRN that one of its employees has tested positive for the coronavirus and is asking some employees to work from home.

A Dell Technologies employee, who recently visited Dell’s Round Rock, Texas headquarters, has tested positive for coronavirus.

Dell confirmed to CRN that two employees of Dell India were recently tested for the COVID-19 virus following their return home from the United States, which included a visit to the company’s headquarters. One employed tested negative, while the other tested positive and has since been placed in quarantine in India, Dell said.

The $92 billion infrastructure giant is asking any central Texas Dell employees who can work from home to do so. Dell’s Environment, Health & Safety team will be contacting any central Texas Dell employees who are thought to have been in contact with the patient during his visit.

“We continue to take steps to protect Dell Technologies team members and communities by following the health and safety guidelines from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control—and coordinating with local health officials,” said Dell in an email to CRN.

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Dell has advised any of its more than 14,000 central Texas-based employees capable working from home to do so through March 24 out of caution in order to help ensure team members who must be onsite can do so more safely, according to a report by KVUE.

The Dell employee infected with the coronavirus is reportedly a software engineer in his 40s from the Indian state of Karnataka, according to multiple media outlets in India.

The patient reportedly flew out of Austin to New York on Feb. 28 and then to Dubai on Feb. 29. The patient developed symptoms several days later and was diagnosed with coronavirus in India on March 9 and placed in isolation. According to multiple India-based news outlets, the Dell employee’s family and others he had been in contact with were all quarantined for a mandatory 28 days.

The Dell news comes in the wake of the revelation that two Exabeam employees who attended last month massive RSA Conference in San Francisco tested positive for coronavirus. The security startup said it couldn’t confirm whether the two employees contracted coronavirus prior to, at or after the RSA Conference that took place from Feb. 24 to Feb. 28.

This week, Dell announced that its flagship Dell Technology World 2020 conference will become a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Because nothing is more important than the health and safety of our team members, customers, partners and suppliers, we have decided to make Dell Technologies World 2020 a virtual event,” said Dell in a statement. “This decision was not made lightly. As we learn more about the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, we know this is the right thing to do, given the global nature of Dell Technologies World.”

The coronavirus has dramatically affected the IT world – from component shortages and sales drops to the canceling of major conferences across the globe.