The e-commerce giant company Amazon said in a blog post that it is developing a lab to screen its workers for the novel coronavirus, showing that more visibility into who is infected is essential to returning its business to normalcy.
Employees in at least 64 of its warehouses and shipping facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus, and workers have spoken out about the risks inherent in their working conditions.
In a blog post announcing the effort, Amazon says that a shortage of testing capacity is making it difficult to keep people safe and to get the economy back up and running. “Those who test positive could be quarantined and cared for, and everyone who tests negative could re-enter the economy with confidence,” the company said. “Unfortunately, today we live in a world of scarcity where COVID-19 testing is heavily rationed.”
“We are not sure how far we will get in the relevant timeframe, but we think it’s worth trying, and we stand ready to share anything we learn with others,” the company wrote.
