Earlier today, Amazon announced that it would be offering paid sick leaves for up to two weeks to all of its employees diagnosed with COVID-19 coronavirus or put into quarantine as a result of the disease. This also includes part-time workers for the company. The decision was made following Amazon's previous announcement pay hourly wages to workers that choose to support the company amid coronavirus fears.
Amazon Relief Fund
Amazon has also stated that it is planning to establish relief funds to help support its workers that may have affected by the virus. The company has independent delivery partners, seasonal employees and Amazon Flex delivery service that made take a financial hit during the crisis. These workers can apply for grants to approximately two weeks of pay if affected by COVID-19. The Amazon Relief Fund will receive an initial $25 million as part of the contribution.
Last week, Amazon also stated that it is doing everything it can to support its employees and contractors that are affected by the coronavirus, but it wasn't clear that the company had a Relief Fund planned.
The Amazon firm based out in Seattle, the epicenter of coronavirus in the United States has witnessed over 24 deaths so far. Amazon has over 800,000 full-time employees across the world.
The eCommerce giant has also said that it will allow both its employees and contractors going through financial difficulties as a result of other calamities and natural disasters to apply for grants from the Amazon Relief Fund that ranges from $400 up to $5,000 per individual.
Other companies are also supporting their employees
On a similar note, several other companies including DoorDash, Uber, and Lyft have also come with new policies to help support their gig workers by offering up to two weeks of pay for those either diagnosed by the virus or quarantined. Postmates is also coming up with a similar fund to support its delivery workers to cover their medical expenses.
According to Worldometers, until now there have been 126,655 confirmed coronavirus cases, 4,640 deaths, and 68,325 recovered cases. There are a total of 73 confirmed COVID-19 cases in India.
