An Amazon Employee Has Tested Positive For COVID-19 At The Alberta Warehouse
It seems like Amazon workers may have more to worry about than just a huge influx of orders. On Monday, April 13, it was announced that an employee at an Amazon warehouse near Calgary had tested positive for COVID-19. The Amazon COVID-19 case has led the company to implement special measures to make sure the individual and their co-workers are safe and supported.
CBC News reported that an employee from the corporation's fulfillment centre in Balzac, Alberta has contracted COVID-19.
The 600,000-square-foot warehouse is the only Amazon fulfillment centre in Alberta, although a second warehouse has already been commissioned and is in the process of being built.
Timothy Carter, an Amazon spokesperson, confirmed the news with Narcity via email.
"We are supporting the individual who is recovering," he said. "We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site."
These "extreme" measures include telling everyone at the worksite that one of their co-workers has been infected, not just those who've been in close contact with the individual.
The employee, as per company regulations, will receive up to two weeks of pay. The same applies to any of their employees who is in quarantine.
They've also announced that they have significantly ramped up their cleaning and working procedures so as to promote physical distancing among the employees.
That includes increased sanitization, staggered staffing at work stations, mask availability, video-based interviews, and temperature screening before each worker's shift.
This isn't the first Amazon employee to get infected with the disease in Canada. A worker in Ottawa tested positive for COVID-19 as well and the news was communicated to the other employees via text.
Amazon hasn't released any details about when the Alberta worker had last worked in the warehouse.
The Calgary Herald interviewed a source from the warehouse who said that they felt uneasy coming into work after learning that an employee was infected. They said that employees would prefer it if the facility was shut down for enhanced sanitization of the workspaces.
The Herald also reported that this facility has trained over 100 new workers to handle the rising demands.
The same source also divulged that certain employees inside the facility are not following the physical distancing rules and continue to meet up in groups despite being advised against it.
Amazon has emerged as a key resource during the pandemic. Not only are they continuing to manufacture and distribute essential goods to meet the rising demands, but they're also teaming up with the government to transport medical supplies.
The cover photo has been used for illustrative purposes only.