Amazon says it may fire workers who violate social distancing guidelines

CNN Business — Amazon said it may begin firing employees who “intentionally violate” the company’s social distancing guidelines, despite complaints from workers who say the demands of their job make it impossible to comply with the policy. “We’ve had some instances of employees intentionally violating our clear guidelines on social distancing at our sites, which endangers both the individual and their colleagues,” said Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty in a statement to CNN. The employee, Christian Smalls, had “received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines” and was fired after attending a worker protest at the facility despite being under a 14-day quarantine, according to spokesperson Kristen Kish. The way stuff works, you’ve got to be close to get things done and get packages out.” Meanwhile, a worker at Amazon’s Staten Island facility said the company sent a text message to employees this week that read: “We recommend everyone wears a facemask of some kind covering their nose and mouth from arrival through departure of your shift.” The company has signage in the facility about picking up facemasks and how to properly use them, which features identical language, according to the worker.