SINGAPORE - Technology company Grab has shut down its offices in Marina One for cleaning and disinfecting and staff have been asked to work from home till Wednesday (March 11), after an employee was found to be infected with Covid-19.

Grab said on Monday (March 9) that the employee was confirmed to be infected on Saturday (March 7), although it declined to say which case number the employee was. The employee is now in hospital receiving treatment.

"Grab confirms that one employee who is based in our corporate office at Marina One West Tower in Singapore has come down with Covid-19," said a spokesman.

"Grab will be providing this employee and his family support and guidance during this challenging time."

Patients confirmed to be infected on Saturday - Cases 139 to 144 - had been announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) the next day.

Only Case 139 and Case 143 did not have their work-related information announced by MOH. The other patients confirmed that day are not linked to Grab.

Case 139 is a 71-year-old Singaporean man, while Case 143 is a 42-year-old male Singapore permanent resident who had been in Thailand from March 4 to 6.

Grab said the employee did not handle any day-to-day operations at its front-line premises. This meant that the employee did not come into contact with any service staff who would interact with Grab's drivers and delivery riders.

Grab added that it had acted immediately since Saturday to minimise the risk of infection to other employees.

All levels of Grab's Marina One offices were closed immediately, and deep cleaning and disinfecting started on March 7, said Grab.

Grab also informed the Marina One building management of the incident, and it sanitised the lifts and common areas in the West Tower throughout the weekend.

Those working in the affected offices have been asked to work from home till March 11. Grab is also working with the authorities to conduct contact tracing with employees and other parties who may have come into close contact with the patient.

Grab added that it will monitor the situation and implement additional precautionary measures to manage the risk of infection if needed.

US technology giant Facebook had on Friday also closed its Marina One office for cleaning after a staff member was confirmed to have the Covid-19 infection.