Coronavirus: 2 Charlotte Metro Amazon Workers Test Positive

NORTH CAROLINA — Two Amazon employees working at separate facilities in the Charlotte metro have tested positive for coronavirus, according to reports.

One worker is a sorter at the Amazon facility located at 1745 Derita Road, WJZY said.

A second worker is employed at a fulfillment center, located at Old Dowd Road in Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Amazon said it notified other workers at the facility, and asked employees who had close contact with the worker to self-quarantine with pay for 14 days out of precaution.

“This additional pay while away from work is to ensure employees have the time they need to return to good health without the worry of lost income. This is in addition to unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April,” Amazon spokesperson Timothy Carter said in a statement, WBTV reported.

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The Amazon spokesperson said the company was supporting the workers, who are recovering. "We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site," Carter said.

Additionally, Amazon said it would ramp up workplace preventative health measures, WBTV said. Those measures include:

• increasing the intensity and frequency of cleaning at all its sites
• Stagger shift start times, as well as break times to promote social distancing4
• Adjusting work practices to ensure social distancing
• Spreading out furniture in break rooms
• Requiring employees to stay home and seek medical care when feeling unwell
• Requiring employees sanitize workstations and vehicles at beginning and end of shifts
• Interview job candidates by video

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