White House will reportedly meet tech companies about coronavirus on Wednesday - CNET

white-house-mr — The White House will reportedly meet tech companies on Wednesday.
Marguerite Reardon/CNET

The White House will gather representatives from major tech companies on Wednesday to coordinate their response to the coronavirus outbreak, Politico reported. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter will apparently join in person or via teleconference.

The report cited the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and noted that US Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will lead the meeting.

Neither OSTP, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft nor Twitter immediately responded to requests for comment.

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Tech companies have already been reacting to the outbreak by instructing employees to work from home, canceling conferences and taking steps to combat misinformation on their platforms.

The new strain of coronavirus, which can develop into an illness known as COVID-19, was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December. It has now infected more than 120,000 people and caused more than 4,300 deaths globally. The US has more than 1,000 confirmed causes.

Supply disruptions

The Politico report suggested the White House meeting will likely focus on disinformation and misinformation, companies like Apple and Amazon have also been hit by manufacturing and supply disruptions as a result of the virus.

Apple, which is one of the most highly valued companies in the world, said in February that it expected fewer supplies of its iPhones, which will also likely lead to lower sales. Smartphone giant Samsung has also reportedly slowed production of some devices amid coronavirus outbreaks in its home country of South Korea.

Companies like Apple, Google, Twitter and Facebook have also pledged to pay hourly workers affected by the virus. And Uber, Lyft, Doordash and Postmates are considering financial payments to help drivers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

President Donald Trump has said he wants to help workers impacted by the virus to ensure they're "not going to miss a paycheck."

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