IMF advises staff to work from home after coronavirus case at headquarters

The International Monetary Fund on Friday advised all staff at its Washington, D.C., headquarters to work from home until further notice after an employee was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, an IMF spokesman said. The fund said it also has suspended all mission travel to European countries designated as Level 3 community spread areas by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the global crisis lending institution said it "remains fully operational and stands ready to serve its members."

The IMF staff member diagnosed with COVID-19 is self-isolating and is receiving appropriate medical care, the IMF spokesman said, adding: "We are working with local public health authorities to identify the staff member’s close contacts and those who may have been affected." About 2,000 people work at the IMF headquarters complex near the White House in downtown Washington, which is next door to the World Bank's headquarters.

Only essential IMF travel will be allowed to the CDC Level 3 areas, which now include 29 European countries and principalities, China, Iran and South Korea, the IMF spokesman said. Both the IMF and World Bank earlier this week tested the ability of thousands of their staff members to work remotely. The spread of the coronavirus has already prompted them to host their Spring Meetings next month by videoconference.