(NEXSTAR) – The number of COVID-19 cases reported at Amazon warehouses across the country continues to grow.
According to the retail behemoth and local news reports, at least 10 facilities have had coronavirus cases so far, CNN reports.
Amazon said late Tuesday that an employee at its Staten Island fulfillment center has tested positive for coronavirus.
The last day that person was at work was March 11.
Other positive cases have been reported at the following Amazon facilities:
- Moreno Valley, Calif.
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Shepherdsville, Ky.
- Brownstown, Mich.
- Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Katy, Texas
- Wallingford, Conn.
- Staten Island, N.Y.
- Queens, N.Y.
- Joliet, Ill.
Amazon temporarily closed its warehouse in Queens, but has largely declined to order mass closures.
“Much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home,” CEO Jeff Bezos said to employees in a letter. “We’ve implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world — everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting our practices in fulfillment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines.”
Bezos said he has placed purchase orders “for millions of face masks” to be given to employees and contractors, but noted that medical personnel and others on the front lines of the pandemic should get theirs first.
“When our turn for masks comes, our first priority will be getting them in the hands of our employees and partners working to get essential products to people,” Bezos wrote.
In the meantime, Amazon said in a blog post that the company has increased and expanded cleaning practices, consulted with medical experts, asked anyone who has had contact with a diagnosed person to spend 14 days in self-quarantine and doubled the base rate for every overtime hour worked between March 15, 2020 and May 9, 2020.
Delivery drivers are required to use disinfectant wipes at the star and end of routes to clean frequently touched surfaces like keys, the steering wheel, buttons and delivery devices.
See Amazon’s blog post for more information.
