Self-administered nasal swabs pilot testing begins at Amazon warehouses

Amazon has begun testing some warehouse employees at its facilities in the US for Covid-19 in a pilot project involving self-administered nasal swabs that could be rolled out as a regular testing soon.

Amazon spokesperson Timothy Carter told FOX Business on Tuesday that the ecommerce giant has made more than 150 "significant process changes" at its facilities.

"A next step might be regular testing of our employees, and we've started our first small-scale pilot. We don't know exactly yet how it's going to shape up, but we continue to believe it's worth trying," Carter was quoted as saying.

Amid the call to shut its warehouses and protect front-line employees from the COVID-19 disease, Amazon recently announced to build its own coronavirus testing lab and test more employees at its warehouses and other facilities.

According to the company, a team of Amazonians with a variety of skills from research scientists and programme managers to procurement specialists and software engineers have moved from their normal day jobs onto a dedicated team to work on this initiative.

Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos late last month rebutted claims about Covid-19 health concerns at the warehouses, saying the ecommerce giant has taken this seriously from the very beginning.

"I am deeply grateful for each of you for the important work you are doing for customers," Bezos said.

At least eight Amazon warehouse worker in the US to have lost their lives due to complications from Covid-19, although the e-commerce giant has not disclosed the exact numbers.

Earlier this month, a group of Amazon warehouse workers from a facility in New York sued the e-commerce giant allegedly for unsafe working conditions, thereby putting them and their families at risk of Covid-19 conditions, the media reported.

Three workers at Amazon's JFK8 warehouse in New York's Staten Island filed the lawsuit.