Google employees working at the company’s Chelsea campus in New York, received a notice Sunday alerting them of a possible bedbug outbreak in the office. Exterminators arrived on scene with a sniffer dog “and found credible evidence of their presence,” according to an email obtained by WIRED. The email was sent to all Google employees in New York on behalf of the company’s environmental, health and safety team.
Employees have been asked to avoid the office until treatment is complete. Monday morning, they were allowed to return. Google is conducting additional inspections at other Google campuses in New York, including buildings on the Hudson Square campus, “out of an abundance of caution,” the email said.
The company advised employees to submit a report “if you experience symptoms that you believe are related to possible exposure to bed bugs.” Additionally, “if you think you have seen a bed bug on site,” employees have been asked to report the sighting to the Facilities team. Employees were also asked to contact professional exterminators if they found bedbugs in their home.
Sources tell WIRED that Google’s New York offices are home to a number of large stuffed animals that are rumored to be involved in the outbreak. WIRED was unable to verify this information prior to publication. Google declined to comment.
This isn’t the first time a Google office in New York has been infested with bedbugs. In 2010, the company’s offices on 9th Avenue in Manhattan experienced an outbreak amid a broader bedbug infestation in New York.
