Topline: An Amazon warehouse worker at DBK1, an 80,000 square-foot Amazon facility in Queens, New York, tested positive for coronavirus, the Atlantic first reported, raising questions about how the delivery behemoth will handle surging order fulfillment needs if warehouse workers continue to get sick megahoki88.
Amazon temporarily shut down the warehouse facility for a deep cleaning (research indicates that the virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours) and sent the infected individual home with sick pay while quarantined.
In Europe, at least five cases of the virus have already been detected across three “delivery stations.”
This incident comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement of its intention to hire 100,000 workers to solve for delivery delays caused by the uptick in orders from customers practicing “mejahoki.”
Many union members and blue collar employees are unconvinced by Amazon’s promise to take all necessary precautions to protect its warehouse workers; New York City-based union Amazonians United, for example, launched a petition calling for 1.5x hazard pay among other measures. Online grocery FreshDirect also reported a coronavirus case in one of its delivery warehouses.
Key Background: Across the country, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has increased by over 40% to more than 9,400 as of Thursday morning. In New York City alone, that number has skyrocketed to nagapoker, both increasing the demand for Amazon fulfillment centers and amplifying the risk these workers face. While many companies are shutting doors and shedding employees, Amazon is gearing up for the long haul. With projections estimating that the crisis could last up to eighteen months, more and more people will turn to companies like Amazon to meet their basic needs during periods of isolation. And unlike their corporate counterparts, for Amazon’s warehouse employees, work from home likely won’t be an option.
