HAZARD DUTY

Nearly 20,000 Amazon Workers Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Company Says

Amazon claims the figures reflect well on it, when compared to infection rates in the general population.

Amazon has revealed that that more than 19,816 of its frontline workers in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 since March. Amazon argues that the percentage infection rate—1.44 percent of its 1.37 million workers—is lower than the wider population’s, when accounting for employees’ age and geography and proves the efficacy of the coronavirus mitigation measures it introduced while keeping its facilities open throughout the pandemic. Athena, a labor and activist coalition, called on officials to investigate Amazon in light of the news. “Amazon allowed COVID-19 to spread like wildfire,” coalition director Dania Rajendra said in a statement. The ecommerce behemoth has been the target of walkouts and frequent criticism for its labor practices since the pandemic began.