Amazon Stops Deliveries In Some Cities To Protect Drivers Amid George Floyd Protests

Amazon (AMZN) has reportedly stopped delivering packages in select areas, where a number of violent protests have erupted over the death of George Floyd – a black man that was arrested and pinned to the ground by a white police officer that knelt on his neck.

Protests in support of Floyd have erupted across the nation, causing retailers such as Target, Apple, and Whole Foods to close their doors as looters ransacked their stores. Video footage captured a series of Target stores in Minneapolis being targeted by looters while other retailers have contended with damage to their storefronts.

Amazon notified its drivers on Saturday in cities such as Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Miami, telling them, “If you are currently out delivering packages, stop immediately and return home. If you have not completed your route, please return undelivered packages to the pick-up location whenever you’re able to do so,” Bloomberg reported.

The news of the delivery halts come as several cities across the U.S. enacted curfews to curtail protests. At the time, Amazon said it was “in close contact with local officials and will continue to monitor the protests,” the notice said.

An Amazon spokesperson told the news outlet, “We are monitoring the situation closely and in a handful of cities we adjusted routes or scaled back typical operations to ensure the safety of our teams.”

Shares of Amazon stock were up 1.03% as of 10:03 a.m. EDT on Monday.