Amazon Is Checking Temperatures and Providing Masks to Workers to Prevent Coronavirus Spread
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As its fleet of workers process stock at fulfillment centers and deliver orders to shoppers’ doorsteps, Amazon is reportedly taking extra precautions to minimize the likelihood of its employees contracting the coronavirus.
According to a report from Reuters, the e-commerce behemoth is planning to conduct temperature checks and provide face masks to staff members across all of its warehouses in the United States and Europe as well as its Whole Foods stores. The supply shipments are expected to arrive early next week.
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Employees working in at least nine Amazon facilities in the U.S. alone have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Some workers at its Staten Island, N.Y., warehouse held a demonstration on Monday to call attention to a reported lack of protections after an employee at the location tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
Reuters reported that the retailer will begin using no-contact forehead thermometers at facility entrances and will send home anyone who registers a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
What’s more, it was reported that Amazon ordered millions of surgical masks weeks ago, some of which will now be distributed to employees. The remaining Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved N95 masks will either be donated to medical workers or sold at cost to government and health-care organizations.
Due to its status as an essential retailer, Amazon has continued operating its warehouses, even in the states and localities that have been hit hardest by the coronavirus. The Seattle-based company has seen a spike in demand as panicked shoppers load up on household goods and shop online instead of in stores.
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