JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Amazon JAX2 warehouse employees claim the online retailer did not tell them about a coworker who tested positive for the coronavirus and instead learned from an On Your Side report.
“My wife is scared, I’m scared," an employee told the On Your Side team via FaceTime.
The employee works at Amazon's fulfillment center on the Northside. He agreed to speak with First Coast News if we didn’t use his name or show his face.
“I just don’t want them trying to lash out at me," he said, "I’m not just speaking for me, I’m speaking for all of us.”
Amazon said Tuesday that the employee who was positive for COVID-19 had not been on site since March 18, that employees were told about the situation, and that they were conducting contact tracing.
“Never did we get a call, a text, we didn’t get a freaking email stating that a person was found positive for the coronavirus,” the employee said.
He sent First Coast News pictures of messages – how the company communicates with employees – offering shifts that could be picked up but no messages about the positive case.
We contacted Amazon about the concerns from employees and left several messages but did not receive a reply.
In the company’s prior statement, a spokesman said enhanced cleaning measures would increase how often areas were sanitized, but that is still a concern for the employee who contacted us.
“I’m really angry and I have a whole family at my house, I have a wife and two kids,” he said.
Amazon previously said the warehouse would remain open amid COVID-19 concerns.