No joke(s): Google canceling traditional April Fools' Day gags over COVID sensitivity

iStock/Bychykhin_Olexandr(NEW YORK) — While April 1 usually sees Google users the world over wondering if the company is really creating Google Translate for Animals or launching treasure hunts on Google Maps, the fun’s over this year. 

Business Insider reports that the search giant is rushing to cancel its plans for April Fools’ Day this year due to COVID-19.

“Under normal circumstances, April Fools’ is a Google tradition and a time to celebrate what makes us an unconventional company,” an email from Google marketing boss Lorraine Twohill reads, according to Business Insider.

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

Twohill also said, “Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let’s save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one.”

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