Amazon Confirms First US Coronavirus Case in Seattle Headquarters
Amazon notifies employees of its first confirmed US coronavirus case at its Seattle office, prompting new travel restrictions and virtual interviews as the city battles a major outbreak.
Amazon confirms the first confirmed case of the coronavirus within its US workforce, alerting employees via email on Tuesday. The infected individual leaves the South Lake Union office complex in Seattle on February 25 due to illness, and the company learns of the positive Covid-19 test today. Amazon notifies all co-workers who had contact with the employee, following two previous confirmed cases among its staff in Italy.
In response to the spread of the virus, Amazon limits nonessential travel within the United States and cancels all warehouse tours. The company shifts to virtual job interviews instead of face-to-face meetings to minimize physical contact. These operational changes occur as Seattle, home to Amazon's headquarters, experiences the largest and first major outbreak of Covid-19 in the US.
Health officials report 21 infections and eight deaths in the wider King County area, with first responders in quarantine and local stores facing shortages of hand sanitizer and face masks. Authorities warn that hundreds of unreported infections likely exist in Washington state, prompting King County to use emergency funds to purchase a motel for patient isolation. Globally, the virus surpasses 92,000 infections and 3,100 deaths, leading economic organizations to predict a significant drop in worldwide growth.