Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest semiconductor foundry, on Wednesday (March 18) confirmed that one of its employees has contracted the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

On Wednesday evening, after Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced 23 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, TSMC sent out an urgent announcement stating that one of its employees had been confirmed to have contracted the disease and was undergoing treatment in a hospital, reported TechNews. The statement added the firm's epidemic prevention committee has also traced the recent contact history of the patient with coworkers and confirmed that 30 employees had come into contact with the confirmed case and that they have all entered a 14-day quarantine.

TSMC stated that it will monitor the health status of the quarantined employees on a daily basis and provide any additional assistance needed. In addition to the originally scheduled disinfection protocol, the scope of disinfection measures was expanded on March 18 to ensure the safety of working areas and public areas for employees.

The company added that epidemic prevention and the protection of employee health is its primary consideration. In addition to existing epidemic prevention regulations, the company said that it will require employees to wear masks when entering meetings, training sessions, and public areas.

The company stressed the incident will not affect the company's operations and the relevant details are based on government information made public.

TSMC is the world's leading semiconductor foundry, with over 50 percent of the global market. Its customers include Apple, Qualcomm, HiSilicon, Nvidia, and other first-tier manufacturers.

After the announcement on Wednesday, the company's American depositary receipts (ADRs) fell by more than 10 percent on the U.S. stock market to a price of US$43.50 per share, washing away the previous day's gain of 8 percent.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan