As the world opens back up, the number of Coronavirus cases have increased. This is concerning for some companies, because they do not want to put their employees at risk. According to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has reported more than 8.2 million coronavirus cases and at least 220,649 deaths. These statistics have impacted many companies, and that is why Amazon added another six months to their stay at home place. 

An amazon spokesperson wrote an email stating, “We continue to prioritize the health of our employees and follow local government guidance, employees with work that can effectively be done from home can continue to do that work from home through June 30, 2021.” They were originally going to make their employees come back to work in January but they have since added another 6 months. The addition to the stay at home is because of the rising numbers in Coronavirus cases. NPR states that tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases are reported daily nationwide, and in 40 states, cases are higher when compared with the week before. According to NBC news, New Hampshire has seen a 91% increase in Coronavirus cases.

Working from home does not apply to everyone at Amazon. According to NPR, Amazon’s fulfillment operations have functioned as an essential business during the pandemic, which requires warehouse employees and delivery drivers to report to work. Jeff Bezos spoke about this in a memo posted on amazon’s website saying, “much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home. Amazon has taken a number of steps to improve safety at its facilities and is working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures.” As compensation for working during the pandemic, Amazon doubled the hourly wage for its associates working in the United States warehouses according to CNBC. CNBC also reported that amazon will provide up to two weeks of pay to all employees diagnosed with the coronavirus or placed into quarantine. 

Vox spoke to a woman named Rosie who is an essential worker at amazon. She told Vox that “it’s frightening, but you have to put on a smile and you go to work because you need the income”. Rosie also told them that “it affects your nerves, your mental state, your way of thinking — because you have to be cautious in everything you do now. It’s like I’m risking my life for a dollar. It’s twisted.” She doesn’t feel as though they are needed, but she has to do it for the money. She told vox that she is scared that she is going to lose her job if she tells them that she feels uncomfortable working during the pandemic. 

Amazon is not the first company to extend their work from home order. They followed in the footsteps of many tech companies that have also extended their work from home policies until early 2021, including Apple, Facebook, and Uber. Overall, coronavirus has impacted many companies, and companies will do what is best for them and their empolyees.