Google Cancels April Fools Joke This Year Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

• Google has announced that they will be skipping their April Fools tradition this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
• As the world struggles to deal with the pandemic, the tech company said now might not be a good time for a gag.
• Their greatest desire, as of the moment, is to be “helpful” to people during these difficult times.

April Fools has always been a tradition Google gladly joins in every year but nope, they’re not doing it this time around. According to an earlier announcement by the tech giant, users should not expect any pranks for them this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As the disease continues to spread and claim thousands of lives across the world, Google feels like now’s not a good time for pranks, regardless if they’re harmless. So for the first time since the year 2000, the company is skipping the gags and is encouraging their workers to instead contribute to relief efforts against the dreaded virus.

Sorry, no April Fools gags from Google this year, folks!

In an official email written to Google managers by marketing head Lorraine Twohill, we read:

“This year, we’re going to take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The company has gained fame for its legendary pranks every year since 2000.

According to Twohill, the company’s “highest goal” is to be “helpful to people” and so putting all the needed effort to make a prank might not exactly be the best thing to do as of the moment.

“Let’s save the jokes for next April,” she continued, “which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one.

Watch this video to see some of Google’s elaborate pranks from the previous years:

Netizens have since expressed mixed reactions about the announcement, although majority are praising Google for knowing their focus.