Amazon Shuts Down Warehouse Before Christmas: Will You Still Get Your Package In Time?

Just days before the Christmas shipping deadline, Amazon (AMZN) has run into a snag at one of its sorting centers.

The e-commerce giant has shut down a New Jersey warehouse out of caution until Dec. 26 after a spike in cases of the coronavirus at the facility, Reuters reported.

A company spokeswoman confirmed the closure to the news outlet in a statement, saying, “Through our in-house COVID-19 testing program, we detected an increase in the number of asymptomatic positive cases at our PNE5 facility in northern New Jersey and have proactively closed the site until December 26th out of an abundance of caution.”

Amazon’s deadline for receiving packages in time for Christmas Day on many items ordered from its website is Christmas Eve for Prime members. The closure of the New Jersey facility will not have an impact on its operation or deliveries for the holidays, Reuters said.

It was unclear at the time of writing exactly how many workers were impacted by the virus at the facility in New Jersey, but Amazon confirmed that employees will be paid for missed shifts because of the shutdown.

Amazon previously came under fire for worker conditions at its facilities during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when orders surged for essential items. In October, Amazon said that 19,816 of its employees contracted the virus this year.

Since the pandemic hit, Amazon said it has implemented a number of COVID safety measures to protect its workers, including growing to 50,000 tests a day across 650 sites by November.

Shares of Amazon were trading at $3,197.30 as of premarket open on Monday, down $10.35 or 0.32%.