Vodafone evacuates Sydney head office over coronavirus fears

Vodafone has become the latest Australian business to stop work and send staff home over coronavirus fears.

The telco evacuated its head office in North Sydney yesterday afternoon after a staff member began showing "flu-like symptoms".

The staff member had recently returned from Japan and went back to work earlier this week, a Vodafone spokesperson said.

"The staff member visited a doctor and was tested yesterday so it is just a matter of waiting for those results," the spokesperson said.

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All the relevant floors in the office were being cleaned and the office would remain closed today, Vodafone added.

Last week, Sydney advertising company OMD and Foxtel Media also sent staff home because of coronavirus concerns.

About 200 staff at OMD's Pyrmont office were told to work from home after a London colleague who had visited the Sydney offices via Singapore developed symptoms.

Foxtel Media staff were also sent home after it emerged one of its employees had been working at the OMD office.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia has now reached 50.

Australia's second death from COVID-19 was confirmed overnight and several new cases were reported last night in Sydney, as well as the first case in the Northern Territory.