The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Amazon worker’s positive virus test
FEARS: Concerns Covid-19 could have spread through centre
A worker at the huge Amazon depot in Fife has tested positive for Covid-19, prompting fears coronavirus could have spread through, and from, the centre.
Contractors have been brought in to deep clean parts of the company’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline after it emerged a male night-shift worker – who was sent home feeling unwell at the end of last week – has been diagnosed with the disease. Close colleagues have been told to selfisolate.
A spokesman for the GMB union said: “This is the news our Amazon members have been dreading.”
It emerged as the number of confirmed cases in Scotland rose to 2,310, up by 317 from the previous day, with 76 dead. There have been 96 positive cases in Tayside.
Fears about the spread of Covid-19 across Scotland have been heightened after it emerged a worker at Amazon’s massive fulfilment centre in Fife tested positive for the virus.
The male night-shift worker, who has not been identified, began to feel unwell five days ago and was sent home from the giant complex in Dunfermline.
He has since been diagnosed with coronavirus, prompting management at Amazon to call in industrial cleaners to keep the round-the-clock packing and delivery operation operational.
Bosses at the huge depot off the M90, which employs hundreds of workers and handles thousands of parcels each day, told staff who came into direct contact with the patient to self-isolate for 14 days.
Contractors brought in yesterday deep-cleaned the affected area.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “We are supporting the individual who is now in quarantine.
“As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, Amazon and our network of partners are helping communities around the world in a way that very few can – delivering critical supplies directly to the doorsteps of people who need them.
“Since the early days of this situation, we have worked closely with local authorities to proactively respond, ensuring we continue to serve customers while taking care of our people.
“We implemented proactive measures at all of our facilities to protect our people and delivery partners, including increased cleaning, and maintaining social distance, including between drivers and customers when making deliveries.
“The health of our people is our top priority, and it’s important to us that they remain home if they’re sick or if they or someone in their home has had a fever in the last 24 hours.
“To support our people during this time we have increased entitlement to paid time off and are enabling people to take leaves of absence as appropriate.”
It is believed the man worked in decant, meaning he would have come into contact with delivery boxes and moving pallets.
With up to 1,000 people working at the site during a shift, the concern is the potential for spreading the virus. It is understood the company temporarily closed three customer return lines for specialist cleaning.
Amazon has stressed that it has implemented proactive measures at all its facilities, including increased cleaning and maintaining social distance.
But union official Mick Rix, GMB national officer, said: “This is the news our Amazon members have been dreading.
“They are petrified of going to work at Amazon because they are not observing and enforcing government guidelines.”