'It's Scary': Employees At Sparrows Point Amazon Fulfillment Center With Coronavirus Case Say Company Needs To Do More To Protect Them
SPARROWS POINT, Md. (WJZ) -- Employees at an Amazon fulfillment center in Baltimore County are concerned about how the e-commerce giant is handling a confirmed coronavirus case involving another employee.
Late Monday night, Amazon said an employee at its Sparrows Point fulfillment center tested positive for COVID-19.
The news now has a number of workers concerned the virus may spread throughout their building.
WJZ spoke with an employee at the Sparrows Point facility who didn't want to be identified for fear of retribution. She said she was notified in a voicemail Tuesday morning about the case but has concerns she and the other 4,000 people who work there may also be exposed to the coronavirus.
"It's scary because nobody wants to bring this home to their family," she said.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
- Amazon Fulfillment Center Employee In Baltimore Area Tests Positive For COVID-19
- Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
- Coronavirus In Maryland: What We Know
- Coronavirus-Related Closings
- Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
In a statement, Amazon said it's asking anyone who had close contact with the sick employee to self-quarantine for the next two weeks.
Patients with COVID-19 or those asked to quarantine will receive two weeks of pay, the company said. The facility has also stepped up its cleaning efforts, staggered shift start times, eliminated large meetings and is promoting social distancing.
Despite those efforts, the employee who spoke to WJZ said she hasn't been offered a face mask or any cleaning supplies to disinfect her workstation.
"There's totes that travel through that entire building that go to every single part of that building and who's to say the person who has the coronavirus touched that and it came right back up to us," she said.
Since Amazon has not ordered her to quarantine, if she decides to stay home voluntarily she will have to use sick time or go unpaid.
"I can't risk losing my house or my car or anything like that. It's hard," she said.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
