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In that amount of time, the woman could have been on alert for any symptoms in herself or her colleagues.

“It’s our right, I think we have to know. It’s about our health. They can’t decide about my health.”

The company has told employees who don’t feel well to stay home, but doing so means they won’t be paid.

The choice is stark, too, for employees who fear for their safety – they can either stay home without pay or use their accrued time to do so. Employees fear this might lead to spread in the workplace.

And when they are at work, demand to fulfill orders is high, as people who are listening to public health officials are not leaving home and instead turning to Amazon to ship goods directly to them. That demand is rivalling peak holiday season, employees say. The company is frequently asking employees to work overtime, they say, and has not placed any restrictions on how many hours a single employee can work.

“Sending the packages out and the numbers are more important for them.”

In a statement to this newspaper, Amazon said the company is “supporting the individual who is recovering,” is “following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and (is) taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site.”

Amazon employees “are heroes fighting for their communities and helping people get critical items they need in this crisis,” the statement said.

The company is notifying any employees who had close contact at work with any other employees who are COVID-19 positive and it’s asking them not to return to the site and self-isolate for 14 days. Those employees are being paid for the time at home, the company said.