TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC, 聯電) on Monday (Jan. 24) announced that employees from certain departments will start to work from home as Omicron cases rise in Taiwan.

As cases tied to a cluster infection at electronics factories in the Farglory Free Trade Zone in Taoyuan City surged over the weekend, TSMC and UMC have tightened epidemic prevention measures. Last week, TSMC began limiting the size of group activities, reducing face-to-face meetings, suspending domestic business trips, and maintaining a moratorium on overseas business trips.

TSMC has halted cross-regional shuttles and inter-plant shuttles, while education and training courses have been shifted online.

TSMC has closed certain facilities such as sports halls, gymnasiums, and athletic fields. It has also suspended corporate gatherings, canceled year-end parties, and suspended activities by charitable foundations, cultural and educational foundations, welfare committees, and innovation organization activities.

On Monday, both TSMC and UMC announced that different departments will begin to work from home in different ratios starting that day.