New York Amazon warehouse worker tests positive for coronavirus
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Amid the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, a worker at an Amazon warehouse in Queens, N.Y., has tested positive for the disease known as COVID-19.
It is the first known case of an Amazon warehouse employee being affected by the virus, according to The Atlantic, which first reported the news.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to Fox News, an Amazon spokesperson said they were providing help to the unnamed individual.
“We are supporting the individual who is now in quarantine," the spokesperson said. "Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with local authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve customers while taking care of our associates and we’re following all guidelines from local officials about the operations of our buildings."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The spokesperson added the company has increased cleaning and proactive measures at all facilities, such as social distancing and "adding distance between drivers and customers when making deliveries."
"In addition to our enhanced daily deep cleaning, we temporarily closed the Queens delivery station for additional sanitation and sent associates home with full pay," the spokesperson continued.
The announcement of the positive test of an Amazon warehouse worker comes after two Amazon workers in Seattle tested positive for the virus. As of Thursday morning, there have been more than 222,000 reported cases of COVID-19, including at least 9,400 in the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amazon has come under scrutiny for having allegedly unsafe conditions in its distribution centers and warehouses in the U.S. and Europe.
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On March 11, the Jeff Bezos-led company announced it would give all Amazon employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to a source familiar with the situation, the additional pay is to ensure employees have the time they need to return to good health. Amazon is also providing unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of the month.
The source added the company has implemented a number of preventative health measures for all of its workers, including increasing the frequency and cleaning of all sites, ensuring social distancing is being practiced, staggering shift times and enabling a temporary cell phone process for those who need to be in contact with family members or childcare providers.
Amazon recently announced it would hire an additional 100,000 workers and raise their hourly pay to help with the recent surge it is seeing amid the pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Gillian Turner and Lissa Kaplan contributed to this story.