Coronavirus Outbreak: Two Amazon Employees In Italy Infected With COVID-19

Two employees of Amazon.com in Milan, Italy, contracted COVID-19 and were held under quarantine, the company said Sunday.

“We’re supporting the affected employees who were in Milan and are now in quarantine,” Reuters reported, citing Dan Perlet, the company’s spokesperson. The nationalities of the employees weren’t revealed.

On Friday, Amazon advised its employees against non-essential travel, within the United States and beyond. It said it was not aware of any U.S. employees contracting the virus. The company also confirmed on Sunday that it would switch to video interviews instead of face-to-face meetings for recruitment purposes.

The number of COVID-19 infections rose sharply in Italy last week, becoming Europe's worst-affected country. The country reported a 50% increase in cases on Sunday. As of Sunday, confirmed cases have been 1,694 whilst the death toll reached 34. The U.S. on Saturday imposed tighter restrictions on traveling to the country, urging citizens to avoid visiting Veneto and Lombardy regions of Italy. Milan is the capital of Lombardy region, according to CNN.