Amazon Warehouse Worker In Queens Contracts Coronavirus: Report

WOODSIDE, QUEENS — An Amazon warehouse worker in Queens tested positive for the new coronavirus Wednesday, prompting management to send workers home and disinfect the facility, according to a news report.

It is the first confirmed COVID-19 case among Amazon's nationwide team of 600,000 hourly warehouse workers, according to The Atlantic, which first reported on the case.

A worker at the Queens sorting facility told The Atlantic that he and his coworkers learned about the case from other employees, not management, and that they were still expected to come in for their night shift — both of which Amazon denies.

"We are supporting the individual who is now in quarantine,” Rena Lunak, an Amazon spokesperson, told The Atlantic. “In addition to our enhanced daily deep cleaning, we’ve temporarily closed the Queens delivery station for additional sanitation and have sent associates home with full pay.”

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Amazon last week said it would give up to two weeks of pay to all full-time and part-time employees who test positive for the new coronavirus or have to self-quarantine. The company also announced that hourly workers could take unlimited unpaid time off through the end of this month.

A group called Amazonians United NYC is petitioning the company to provide paid sick leave to all employees — not just those with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis — due to the scarcity of the tests, The Atlantic reported.

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