For several weeks, tens of thousands of employees at Amazon’s corporate offices in Seattle and elsewhere have been hunkering down in their homes to curb the spread of the coronavirus, trying to get on with business however they can. That is resulting in some stern reminders from the company about corporate policies. 

For example, Amazon recently handed employees working on upcoming Echo smart speakers and other devices a checklist of rules for keeping prototype hardware products confidential if they bring them home. The company has ordered them to keep the devices covered when not in use, to avoid placing them near windows where strangers could catch glimpses of them and to remind housemates that the prototypes are confidential, according to guidelines seen by The Information. And if housemates happen to work for Amazon competitors, employees must get a greenlight from an Amazon vice president to bring prototypes home, the guidelines say.