Some Amazon distribution facility workers in Kansas City, Kansas, held a walkout this afternoon over safety issues.
The Amazon facility in Kansas City, Kansas, has eight confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 webpage.
A worker, Sean Fuller, has concerns about safety. He said he believed there were more positive cases than that.
About four workers participated in a walkout on Wednesday.
“They really need to shut down and do a thorough cleaning from back to back and side to side,” Fuller said. “We’ve got a lot of cleaning issues.”
He said he had concerns about his own health and his colleagues’ health.
Possibly 1,000 or less people are currently working there, but at peak seasons, the number of employees could rise to 2,000 to 5,000.
Fuller said although they are trying to do social distancing, sometimes people will come up to them and say they need to be 6 feet apart, while not following their own advice.
“I’ve been told I’m a hero, an essential worker,” he said. “I don’t feel that. I feel that those that are doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and paramedics are the true heroes.”
He said he got tested for COVID-19 after he had some minor symptoms, and the test was negative.
Amazon, on its website, says it has provided personal protective equipment and made improvements to its facilities to deal with COVID-19. The statement is at https://blog.aboutamazon.com/company-news/how-amazon-prioritizes-health-and-safety-while-fulfilling-customer-orders?token=GW&utm_content=COVID-19_safety&utm_medium=card&utm_source=gateway&utm_term=gw04272020.
The company, which has COVID-19 cases nationwide, stated that its top concern is the health and safety of its employees. It is providing $800 million worth of personal protective equipment and improvements, and implementing safety procedures, according to the website.
Janell Friesen, a spokesman for the UG Health Department, said there have been eight positive COVID-19 cases confirmed at the Amazon facility.
The outbreak continues to be under investigation, she said. The Health Department provides guidelines to facilities and does contact tracing of any confirmed cases, she said.
If anyone else who works there has symptoms, or doesn’t have symptoms, they can get tested at the Health Department or the pop-up testing sites, she said. Anyone in close contact with a positive confirmed case, or associated with an outbreak of at least five cases, can be tested. Test sites are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
Friesen said the Health Department staff has provided guidance to the leadership at Amazon about what kind of infection control measures to take.
The UG’s outbreak locations map showed several industrial and work sites with COVID-19 outbreaks in Wyandotte County. Other locations, according to the UG outbreak information, included National Beef Packaging, Kansas City, Kansas, 42 cases; Smithfield, Edwardsville, with six cases; MWI Animal Health, Kansas City, Kansas, with seven cases; the Legacy Warehouse, Kansas City, Kansas, five cases; Donnelly College construction site, Kansas City, Kansas, eight cases; Liberty Fruit Company, Kansas City, Kansas, eight cases; Premier Custom Foods, Kansas City, Kansas, 12 cases; El Torito Supermarket, Kansas City, Kansas, 16 cases; and Kellogg’s Bakery, Kansas City, Kansas, 21 cases;
The largest COVID-19 outbreak in Wyandotte County was at the Riverbend Post-Acute Rehabilitation facility, with 132 cases and 36 deaths, according to UG outbreak information. Other nursing facilities with cases here included the Life Care Center of Kansas City with 42 cases, and Delaware Highlands Assisted Living with 18 cases.
The UG outbreak map is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.