Workers at the facility were notified via text Wednesday night that a positive case had been reported. The employee is receiving medical care and is quarantined, and all other employees have been sent home with full pay. It’s unclear when the facility might reopen.
“In addition to our enhanced daily deep cleaning, we’ve temporarily closed the Queens delivery station for additional sanitation and have sent associates home with full pay,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Atlantic.
Earlier this week, Amazon put out a call for additional warehouse workers. It is offering an extra $2 per hour through the end of April, and the company says it is taking additional safety measures to protect employees. It has created an Amazon Relief Fund, with an initial $25 million investment, to provide additional financial support to its workers, and any employee diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay.
While Amazon is encouraging employees who can work from home to do so, hourly workers in its warehouse and distribution centers cannot work from home. Amazon is filling a critical need for many, shipping supplies that may not be available locally. It has said it will prioritize cleaning and medical supply shipments, but if facilities are forced to close because of positive COVID-19 cases, the company will face an additional challenge.
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