Coronavirus Update: At Least 5 Amazon Warehouse Workers Test Positive For COVID-19

At least five warehouse workers at Amazon (AMZN) have tested positive for the coronavirus in Europe.

According to Bloomberg, the employees worked at warehouses in Spain and Italy, which will remain open.

Italy and Spain have been two of the hardest-hit countries in Europe with escalating cases of the coronavirus. Italy has enacted a nationwide lockdown for citizens, and Spain has declared a state of emergency.

According to the World Health Organization, over 173,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, with over 7,000 deaths reported. In Italy, there have been nearly 28,000 cases of COVID-19, with over 2,000 deaths reported, while Spain has had over 9,000 cases of the virus with over 300 deaths reported, the agency said.

Amazon told the CNBC that it has stepped up safety measures at its fulfillment centers to protect against the coronavirus and the “vast majority” of its global workers continue to come to work as it follows guidance from health officials on its business operations.

“We are going to great lengths to keep the buildings extremely clean and help employees practice important precautions such as social distancing and other measures,” the spokesperson said. “Those who don’t want to come to work are welcome to use paid and unpaid time off options and we support them in doing so.”

Amazon has had other employees that have contracted the coronavirus at other locations throughout the world. The company confirmed that an employee working out of its Brazil office tested positive for COVID-19, and another employee in Seattle also tested positive for the coronavirus.

The warehouse workers are the first employees to test positive for COVID-19 at an Amazon fulfillment center.

Amazon corporate workers have been advised globally to work from home through the end of March. Amazon is offering a $25 million relief fund to allow its fulfillment center employees and delivery drivers impacted by the coronavirus to apply for up to two weeks’ pay, CNBC said.

Shares of Amazon stock were up 4% as of 9:46 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.