INDIANAPOLIS (WIBC/WISH) — Employees at Lilly, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical research and manufacturing companies, have been advised to work from home if at all possible, to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

In an internal memo obtained by WIBC, management asked employees who can to stay home and work remotely.

The memo acknowledges that not all employees can do that because some of their duties involve use of the physical facilities. However, those who can telecommute were asked to come in and pick up supplies that they will need.

“During this, supervisors will stay in close contact with their employees to make sure teams are well and work is progressing,” read the memo.

Domestic travel at the company is also being limited to business-critical and can only happen with top-level permission.

In-person meetings that require more than five people to be present have also been canceled. Visitor access to the Lilly facility will be granted for “business-critical” guests.

The memo comes as the Indiana State Department of Health confirmed two people who traveled in late February to a BioGen conference in Boston have tested positive for coronavirus.

Lilly released this statement on Sunday:

As the novel coronavirus situation evolves, we’ve been focused on two main guiding principles: protecting the health and safety of our employees, and protecting our ability to make and supply safe medicines for patients who rely on them.

In order to reduce the risk of virus transmission, we’re taking measures to maximize “social distancing” by asking employees at Lilly’s US facilities to work from home if possible, and by restricting travel within the United States. We’re taking these actions out of an abundance of caution. We have a unique responsibility to ensure continuity in our manufacturing facilities and R&D labs. By minimizing staff in our offices, we are reducing risk of inadvertent transmission to workers who don’t have the option of continuing to do their important work from home (particularly those who work with specialized equipment or in specialized facilities).

We do not have a specific timeline for how long this guidance will remain in place. We continue to monitor this dynamic situation locally, regionally and nationally, and will adjust as necessary.

Eli Lilly and Co.