Employees of the German automotive company Webasto returned to work at the company's Stockdorf headquarters near Munich on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after the company closed its doors following the infection of one of its workers with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Webasto's CEO Holger Engelmann said the reason for the closure on 29 January was to protect the company's thousand-strong workforce:

"We decided we would close for two weeks to wait for the incubation period of 14 days, and in these two weeks, we have focused on really identifying all colleagues who made contact with those who tested positive to break the chain of infection. That was very clear, the focus was on employees."

Seven other employees from the company, which also manufacturers convertible roofs and parking heaters, have also tested positive for the virus after a colleague visiting from China was found to have contracted COVID-19.

The virus has been transmitted to six other people connected to the infected employees, including four family members, bringing the total number of cases in Bavaria to 14, with two other cases in Frankfurt.

On Wednesday, Engelmann confirmed that measure had been taken to ensure that no further employees were at risk of contracting the virus by returning to the office:

"All colleagues who were in home quarantine got a second test just before leaving quarantine to make sure that when they return, they are definitely negative, in the sense of not being infected."

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A "Welcome Back" sign currently hangs from the company's main entrance, next to a chart depicting proper hygiene and outlining coronavirus symptoms. Hand sanitizer has also been made available throughout the building.

"We disinfected the entire location here," said Engelmann at a press conference announcing the reopening. "I would say you are in the most germ-free location, probably, at Webasto."

According to the company, the building just south east of Munich, which houses Webasto's administrative and R&D departments, has been thoroughly disinfected in line with EU directives. Enhanced hygiene standards have also been applied at all of the company's locations worldwide.

Webasto's fast response to the coronavirus confirmations has been commended by the Bavarian Health and Food safety authority.

Meanwhile, during a press conference in Berlin, Germany's health minister Jens Spahn warned that the number of potential COVID-19 cases around the world may be underestimated.

"We have to assume that thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of infections are actually not recognized at all; and due to a change in the statistics - where only cases with an actual, symptomatic causes are included - these statistics are less and less usable."

On Tuesday the World Health Organisation announced the official name for the virus as COVID-19, while saying that a vaccine could be ready in 18 months.