An eighth Amazon employee has died of COVID-19. The news comes as the company is under scrutiny for failing to be more transparent about the wider number of infections among its warehouse workers.

A spokesperson confirmed the reports of the death, telling TechCrunch, “We are saddened by the loss of an associate who had worked at our site in Randall, Ohio. “Her family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting her fellow colleagues.”

According to the company, the worker in North Randall, a village outside of Cleveland, was sent home from work on April 30. She received a positive test a little over a week later, on May 8. Amazon says it notified fellow employees of the death and has provided counseling to colleagues.

The overall number of Amazon workers who have tested positive for the virus remains a mystery. The company stands by its decision not to disclose such information. “We don’t think that number is super valuable,” it has said previously. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, it added: 

Our rates of infection are at or below the rates of the communities where we operate. We see that in our quarantine rates as well. Quarantine rates are a critical part to understanding what’s happening in the workplace – it shows that our hard work around social distancing is paying off. Unlike others who hide beyond HIPAA, we alert every person at the site anytime there is a confirmed diagnosis. This alert to employees is a direct text message noting when the person with the confirmed diagnosis was last in the building.

The lack of transparency is one of a number of sources of criticism surrounding Amazon’s COVID-19 response.

While the company has repeatedly maintained that it has done all it can to protect the employees in its fulfillment centers, potential exposure to the virus among warehouse workers is difficult to avoid, even with the proper PPE. Earlier this month, a letter from 13 state attorneys general demanded that Amazon disclose the number of workers who have been impacted by the virus.

“We have requested but not received information on how many of the Companies’ workers have been infected with COVID-19, and how many have died from it,” the letter reads. “Please provide a state-by-state breakdown for each Company with this information.”

Earlier this week, The New York Times noted one particularly hard hit warehouse in northeastern Pennsylvania, where more than 100 workers have apparently tested positive for the virus. The exact figure is unknown, as Amazon will not disclose it. Yesterday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that at least 30 workers at the nearby Kenosha warehouse have tested positive for the virus.

As more housebound Americans rely on Amazon for deliveries, workers have largely fallen under the “essential services” guidelines issued by many states. In mid-May, the company extended its $2 an hour “hazard pay bonuses” through the end of the month. Amazon confirmed that it will return to standard salaries, come June, stating: 

To thank employees and help meet increased demand, we’ve paid our team and partners nearly $800 million extra since COVID-19 started while continuing to offer full benefits from day one of employment. With demand stabilized, next month we’ll return to our industry-leading starting wage of $15 an hour.

The company has been subject to additional scrutiny over the firing of several employees that have raised public concerns over its treatment of workers during the crisis. While Amazon has repeatedly denied the firings were retaliation, the reports were enough to warrant another letter, this time from a number of high-profile senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Update: Amazon sent TechCrunch the following statement after this story was originally published,

Our rates that we have by site vary and vary almost entirely based on the communities of which our associates live. What we see is that our rates of infection are at or below the communities we’re operating in at almost all of our facilities. And, we see that in our quarantine rates as well. Quarantine rates are a critical part to understanding what’s happening in the workplace – it shows that our hard work around social distancing is paying off. Unlike others who hide beyond HIPPA, anytime there is a confirmed diagnosis we alert every person at the site. This alert to employees is a direct text message noting when the person with the confirmed diagnosis was last in the building —even if it’s been a month or more.

Our top concern is ensuring the health and safety of our employees, and we expect to invest approximately $4 billion from April to June on COVID-related initiatives to get products to customers and keep employees safe. This includes spending more than $800 million in the first half of the year on COVID-19 safety measures, with investments in personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning of our facilities, less efficient process paths that better allow for effective social distancing, higher wages for hourly teams, and developing our own COVID-19 testing capabilities, etc.

Organizers of the New York International Auto Show, once hoping to hold the rescheduled event in August, have decided to scrap the entire year. The show has been officially canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced Friday.

The next show will take place April 2 to April 11, 2021. Press days will be March 31 and April 1.

The New York Auto Show, which is organized by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, was scheduled to begin April 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The event was rescheduled for late August after COVID-19 swept into Europe and North America.

The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the traditional location for the show, was set up as a field hospital for COVID-19 cases. The center doesn’t have any patients. However, it is still set up as an active hospital and is in standby mode for the foreseeable future, according to organizers.

Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, noted that “immense planning” is needed for automakers and their exhibit partners to construct a show.

“Because of the uncertainty caused by the virus, we feel it would not be prudent to continue with the 2020 Show and instead are preparing for an even greater 2021,” Schienberg said.

“As representatives of automobile retailers, we know when this crisis passes there will be enormous pent-up demand for new vehicles in this region and across the country,” he added. “We also know how important the Show is for consumers navigating the process.”

Baš kao i svi drugi sportisti iz brojne porodice Sportskog privrednog društva Radnički, i košarkašice Radničkog su se početkom prošle nedelje vratile ekipnim treninzima.

Tokom prvih sedam dana, „crvene“ su trenirale na otvorenom prostoru – u Velikom parku i na stadionu „Čika Dača“, striktno se pridržavajući preporuka nadležnih institucija, a od ovog utorka su opet u svojoj dvorani „Gordana Goca Bogojević“, gde nastavljaju sa daljim radom.

Treneru Nenadu Milovanoviću trenutno su na raspolaganju uglavnom igračice iz Kragujevca, kojima društvo na treninzima prave članice mlađih klupskih selekcija. 

Dvomesečna pauza usled epidemije virusa Covid-19 neminovno se odrazila na fizičko stanje košarkašica Radničkog, kojima će biti potrebno određeno vreme da ponovo dostignu odgovarajući nivo forme.

– Krenuli smo sa nekim laganim ritmom treninga, pa ćemo, kako vreme bude odmicalo, polako pojačavati njihov intenzitet. Mada su igračice tokom pauze individualno trenirale u svojim domovima, evidentno je da im najviše nedostaje trčanje. U ovom prelaznom periodu baziraćemo se uglavnom na individualne treninge, dok nas ozbiljnije kondicione pripreme očekuju od avgusta, kada ćemo imati nešto jasniju skicu ekipe za narednu takmičarsku sezonu – otkriva Milovanović.

Epidemija virusa Covid-19 došla je u samom jeku sezone i u velikoj meri pokvarila planove Kragujevčankama, koje su ligaški deo takmičenja u Prvoj ženskoj ligi Srbije okončale na petoj poziciji i sa neskrivenim optimizmom su očekivale početak četvrtfinalne serije plej-ofa protiv beogradskog Radivoja Koraća, ekipe koju su prethodno savladale u oba ligaška duela.

– Željno smo iščekivali duele sa ekipom Radivoja Koraća u plej-ofu i opravdano se nadali da ih možemo iznenaditi. Nažalost, umešala se viša sila u vidu virusa Covid-19, koja je paralisala sve sportske aktivnosti. Nama nije preostalo ništa drugo osim da se prilagodimo datim okolnostima, ostanemo u svojim kućama i čekamo na kraj ove globalne pandemije – sa žaljenjem konstatuje Milovanović.

Košarkaški savez Srbije još uvek nije dao zvaničan odgovor na pitanje da li će sezona u nacionalnim takmičenjima biti nastavljena, ali je iz dana u dan sve izvesniji scenario po kome do njenog nastavka neće doći.

– Još uvek čekamo kakav će biti rasplet ove takmičarske sezone, ali mislim da nije realno da se ona nastavi. Na nama je da polako krojimo plan priprema za novu sezonu, koja će krenuti od oktobra – zaključuje strateg Radničkog.

Članak „Crvene dame“ ponovo u trenažnom procesu je preuzet sa sajta KKK Radnički Kragujevac.