Amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon tells employees in all its global sites to work from home if they can do their jobs remotely throughout the month of March to help contain the spread of virus by lessening the impacts of public transportation.
According to an Amazon spokesperson, the company “continue[s] to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions as the situation continues to evolve.”
“As a result, we are now recommending that all of our employees globally who are able to work from home do so through the end of March,” the spokesperson added. The directive applies to all employees whose work requires them to be in an office, store, fulfillment center, or in vehicles making deliveries.
The move comes as the coronavirus pandemic has already charted more than 127,800 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide and at least 4,718 deaths. In the United States alone, at least 1,323 are diagnosed with COVID-19, and 38 have already died.
As part of its directive, Amazon also promises to pay all of its hourly employees that support its offices around the world, including food service employees, security guards, and janitorial staff.
The announcement also comes after the e-commerce giant has announced on Wednesday that it will be setting up an “Amazon Relief Fund,” which will allow these employees to apply for grants that are equal to or up to two weeks of pay if they’re diagnosed with the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.
