Amazon employee at Indianapolis warehouse tested positive for coronavirus

Amazon has confirmed that an employee at a warehouse in Indianapolis tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month.

"We are supporting the individual who is recovering," Amazon said in a statement emailed to IndyStar. "We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site."

The Seattle-based company said it has made employees at the site aware of the confirmed case and will ask associates who were in close contact with the employee to self-quarantine at home for 14 days with pay.

Amazon said it has implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees during the coronavirus outbreak. Chairs and tables have been moved and spread out to ensure social distancing. Hand sanitizer is provided.

Door handles, stairway handrails, elevator buttons, lockers and touch screens are cleaned more frequently, the company said. Employees also are required to sanitize and clean their work stations and vehicles at the start and end of every shift.

Other preventative measures include no stand-up meetings during shifts, staggered start and break times, small-format training sessions and suspended exit screening to ensure ease of movement at entrances.

Amazon also said employees diagnosed with the virus that causes COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay while away from work. The company also is offering unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April.

Positive cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed at nearly a dozen Amazon warehouses across the country. Workers in Staten Island, New York, walked off the job Monday, demanding better work conditions during the global coronavirus pandemic, USA TODAY reports.

In Indiana, Amazon has facilities in Indianapolis, Greenwood, Plainfield, Whitestown and Jeffersonville.

This story will be updated.

Contact IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com or call 317-617-2690. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.