Google employees working at the company’s Chelsea campus in New York City received a notice on Sunday alerting them to a possible bedbug outbreak at the office. Exterminators arrived at the 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 were told to avoid the office until the treatment was complete. On Monday morning, they were allowed to return. Google is performing additional inspections at other Google campuses in New York, including buildings at the company’s Hudson Square campus, “out of an abundance of caution,” the email says.
The company advised employees to submit a report “if you experience symptoms you believe are linked to possible bedbug exposure.” Additionally, “if you suspect you’ve seen a bedbug onsite,” employees were told to report the sighting to the facilities team. Employees were also told to contact professional exterminators if they found bedbugs in their home.
Sources tell WIRED that Google’s offices in New York are home to a number of large stuffed animals that are rumored to be implicated in the outbreak. WIRED was not able to verify this information prior to publication. Google declined to comment.
This is not the first time a Google office in New York has been infested with bedbugs. In 2010, the company’s 9th Avenue offices in Manhattan experienced an outbreak amid a wider bedbug infestation in New York.
