Grab Holdings Inc closed offices in Singapore and Thailand for five days of cleaning after a Singapore-based employee, who previously visited the Bangkok office, tested positive for the coronavirus.

"One employee who is based in our corporate office at Marina One West Tower in Singapore has come down with Covid-19,” Grab said Monday in an emailed statement. "The employee tested positive on March 7 and is currently in hospital receiving treatment.”

The infection at Grab comes after Facebook Inc, which also has offices at the Marina One building in Singapore, confirmed an employee there was diagnosed with the virus. Facebook said it closed the affected areas for deep cleaning and advised employees in those areas to work from home until March 13. The US company also closed its London offices until Monday for cleaning because the infected employee had visited in February.

The rapid spread of Covid-19, which erupted in China, is forcing office closures around the world. Tech giants from Apple Inc to Google are also advising employees to work from home.

Singapore has 150 confirmed cases, though scores have recovered, according to the local authorities. The Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said on Saturday the city-state must be prepared to see a spike in cases, which could be "significantly different from the numbers we are seeing today, and we must never be complacent”.

 - Bloomberg