Twitter staff across the world were asked to work from home starting today in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, AFP reported.

"We are strongly encouraging all employees globally to work from home if they're able," Twitter human resources chief Jennifer Christie said in a blog post.

"Our goal is to lower the probability of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus for us — and the world around us."

Working from home will be mandatory for employees at the company's South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan offices, Christie said.