No instruction manual for Amazon in COVID-19 times: Bezos

Seattle, March 22 (IANS) Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has replied to US Senators who raised questions on his warehouse employees’ safety amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

Four US Senators, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Bezos last week, asking him how the company is keeping its warehouse staff safe as an Amazon warehouse worker was tested positive for COVID-19 at the company’s Queens, New York facility last week.

“There is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this, and I know this causes stress for everyone. My list of worries right now like yours,” Bezos said in a company blog post late Saturday.

“Much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home. We’ve implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world,” the Amazon CEO said.

Several warehouse employees have told CNN Business they feel the company should be doing more to shield those at the core of its business who can’t do their jobs from home.

Bezos said the company is ensuring everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting the company’s practices in fulfilment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines.

“We are meeting every day, working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures,” he stressed.

According to him, Amazon has changed its logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third party seller processes to prioritize stocking and delivering essential items like household staples, sanitizers, baby formula and medical supplies.

In a letter sent to Bezos on Friday, US Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sanders and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said. “Any failure of Amazon to keep its workers safe does not just put their employees at risk, it puts the entire country at risk”

“This isn’t business as usual, and it’s a time of great stress and uncertainty. It’s also a moment in time when the work we’re doing is its most critical,” said Bezos.

IANS