Amazon Says Almost 20,000 Workers Had virus in Pandemic

Amazon. com Inc. says it’s aware of almost 20,000 employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic, a disclosure that follows criticism from some lawmakers and employees that the online retailer was insufficiently transparent about outbreaks. The retailer said in a blog post Thursday that 19,816 employees tested positive for the respiratory disease, or were presumed positive, out of 1,372,000 people who worked for the company from March 1 to Sept. 19. The company says that if its employees contracted the virus at a rate equal to that of the general population, Amazon would have seen some 33,952 cases. Company data show that Amazon’s case rate was lower than the expected rate for an employer of its size in most U.S. states where it operates.