Apple staff have been told to work home amid the "unprecedented event" of the coronavirus outbreak.

Chief executive Tim Cook advised employees at most of its global offices to work from home if they can, in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.

Mr Cook referred to the outbreak as a "challenging moment". It comes as suppliers are hit by difficulties because of the virus — which has already led to reduced supplies of iPhones, and could even hit the upcoming iPhone 12 — and it is thought to be planning major events such as the launch of a new iPhone and its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

He told staff at locations across the world that they should "feel free to work remotely if your job allows" this week, according to a memo first reported by Bloomberg News and confirmed by The Independent.

Apple had already encouraged employees in California and Seattle to work remotely if they can, on Friday. But the new advice covers a range of different countries that include the "areas with the greatest density of infections", adding offices in the UK, cross Europe, Japan and South Korea.

The company is also working to ensure that those employees still on site can work "safely and with peace of mind", he wrote in the message.

He told staff to avoid coming to work if they were ill, and repeated guidelines that advise people to wash their hands regularly and avoid touching their face.