Google tells employees to take a day off on May 22 to address work-from-home-related burnout due to the coronavirus

In February, when coronavirus first started to spread across the United States, many tech companies made the right decision and asked their employees to work from home to stem the spread of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly respiratory virus. However, as people become more isolated, the emotional toll on workers continues to increase. Psychologists and psychiatrists are also reporting signs of distress among patients worried about the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, tech giant Google is addressing the work-from-home-related burnout caused by the deadly virus. Alphabet’s Google announced Friday it has asked employees to take a day off on May 22 to stem the virus burnout. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai announced the move in a memo to employees on late Thursday, which was first reported by CNBC.

Google said it would begin reopening more offices globally as early as June, but most Google employees would likely work from home until the end of this year. Facebook Inc also said on Friday it would allow workers who are able to work remotely to do so until the end of 2020.

To date, the virus which has infected more than 3.9 million people globally so far, has forced strict lockdowns in most countries and changed the way businesses function, with work from home emerging as the new norm.