Google employees working at the tech giant’s New York office were told to stay home following a possible bed bug outbreak.
Workers received an email on Sunday alerting them to the problem, after exterminators and a sniffer dog found “credible evidence of their presence,” according to an email obtained by WIRED.
The outbreak may be linked to a number of large, stuffed animals on the Chelsea campus – which cost around $2.1 billion to build on the site of a historic 1930s rail terminal – sources told the outlet, though this has not been confirmed.
The Independent has contacted Google for comment about the outbreak.
The email, sent to all Google employees in New York on behalf of the company’s environmental, health, and safety team, told them to avoid the office until treatment was complete, though some returned Monday.
The company is reportedly performing additional inspections at other Google campuses in New York “out of an abundance of caution,” per WIRED.
Citing the email, the outlet also reported that Google asked its employees to submit a report if they experienced symptoms of “bed bug exposure” and added that they should report any sightings of bed bugs on-site.
Google employees were told to contact professional exterminators if they found bed bugs at home.
Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate due to a number of factors, including their rapid reproductive cycle, resilience to common pesticides and ability to adapt.
The parasites are also known for being easily spread and can quickly infest new areas by hitchhiking on luggage, clothing, and other belongings.
“This means that even if you successfully treat one location, there’s a risk of reintroduction if you bring infested items into your home or travel to a place with a bed bug infestation,” according to The Bed Bug Experts.
Google’s New York offices were previously infested with bed bugs in 2010 – at the tech giant’s 9th Avenue office, which came as part of a wider spread of the parasites in the Big Apple.
