Amazon’s Delivery Network Faces Coronavirus Cases in Kentucky, Texas
More Amazon workers have come down with the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, the company confirmed that an employee at an Amazon delivery station near Houston, Texas, had tested positive for COVID-19. On the same day, local media outlets reported three confirmed cases at an Amazon warehouse in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, which has temporarily shut down.
In Texas, the unnamed employee works on the management team for an Amazon delivery station based in the city of Katy, the company told PCMag in a statement. “We are supporting the individual who is recovering in quarantine,” Amazon added. “We are following guidelines from local officials about the operation at our building and taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of those at the building.”
It’s unclear whether the employee ever handled packages. However, Amazon has made every worker at the facility aware of the confirmed coronavirus case. Any staffers who were in close contact with the individual for a prolonged time have been asked to self-quarantine and not to return to the job for 14 days.
The company refrained from answering whether the delivery station is still in operation, and merely noted it has ramped up cleaning at Amazon facilities across the country to keep them free of germs and, hopefully, the coronavirus.
In Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Amazon’s local warehouse closed on Monday after three workers tested positive for the virus, according to WDRB, which cites a voice message sent to the warehouse’s employees.
Amazon told PCMag: “Out of an abundance of caution, and in addition to our enhanced daily deep cleaning, we are temporarily closing the Shepherdsville, KY site for additional sanitization.”
Last week, an employee at an Amazon delivery station in Queens, New York, also tested positive for the virus. In response, the company briefly shut down the site to carry out sanitation before restarting the facility the next day. However, Amazon fulfillment centers are known to employ hundreds of workers, who are often sorting through customer packages. As a result, some employees at the Queens delivery station now worry they may inevitably come down with the virus.
“Three more have been quarantined. Last night one person got sick and was sent home. 14 workers walked out in protest to conditions,” the group Amazons United New York City tweeted over the weekend.
According to the CDC, the coronavirus primarily spreads via “respiratory droplets” when people cough or sneeze. These same droplets can land in a person’s mouth or nose, and then be inhaled into the lungs.
It’s why health authorities are urging the public to stay indoors, and practice social distancing. However, the CDC says it’s possible the illness could also spread on contaminated surfaces. A recent study has found that the coronavirus can survive up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to three days on plastic. So to stay safe, we recommend you thoroughly wash your hands after opening a package. You can also consider leaving your delivered goods outside your home for an extra day.
