Could Amazon be a Coronavirus Superspreader?

Since the pandemic started, online shopping has been seen as a safer option than braving supermarkets and other brick and mortar retailers. But during the first few months of the pandemic, workers called Amazon’s health and safety practices into question, claiming that Amazon was not following local, state, and federal public health guidelines.

When employees’ concerns were not taken seriously, they took the matter to the courts.

In June 2020 workers in Amazon’s JFK8 facility filed a lawsuit alleging that the mega-retailer was not allowing employees to follow public health guidance and had therefore caused not only injury to employees and their families but also the death of at least one family member.

Warehouse workers claimed that Amazon was cutting corners with health and safety and creating a “façade of compliance” instead protecting employees and employees’ families.

Because of warehouse productivity quotas, employees did not have time to wash their hands regularly, practice safe distancing, or practice other sanitation safety measures without being penalized. Instead of just getting mad, workers sought help from our justice system.

Just before the court was set to begin hearing testimony, Amazon reported that they would stop punishing employees for taking extra sanitization precautions. This was what employees had been asking for and the case was dropped.

While the megaretailer may have seen the error of its ways (with a little help from their employees) the question remains: how many people contracted the coronavirus because Amazon continued to enforce quotas during the pandemic?

New findings published last week that the virus remains on surfaces from 14 to 28 days call even Amazon’s new practices into question.

While we learn more about this virus, it seems that sanitizing deliveries would be wise.