The Uncertainty Continues. The Latest.
Leon Sakkal
Marketing, The SPL Group
Share!
As the world continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19, new policies are rapidly being put in place to minimize the spread.
In today’s news:
UPS is committed to operating globally –except where constrained by government restrictions. Effective just yesterday, March 26, and until further notice, UPS has suspended the UPS Service Guarantee for all shipments to any destination, and at all service levels. As the effects of the Coronavirus impacts their infrastructure, they will continue to seek guidance from local and national government entities regarding applicable regulations.
Our friends with India Post have suspended all international mail exchanges until further notice; Maldives Post is suspending the processing of all inbound and outbound mail until April 4, 2020; Zimpost is unable to guarantee inbound and outbound mail standards. But USPS will continue to accept and process mail destined for India, The Maldives, and Zimbabwe.
If you have been crushed by the freight rate volatility, consider having the shipping experts at The SPL Group manage your logistics.
Retail Dive reports that “73% of consumers will increase online shopping if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, and 58% of consumers have already bought more goods online than usual.”
The World’s Largest Online Marketplace
Amazon warehouses are facing a growing tide of coronavirus cases with at least 11 facilities hit so far, according to Amazon and local media reports.
One person who works in Amazon’s Staten Island fulfillment center tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The person, who was last at work physically on March 11, is in quarantine and recovering, Amazon said. This marks the second time Amazon’s warehouses have been hit in New York. This, coming just a week after the first reported case at an Amazon facility in Queens, NY.
The company also confirmed a case at a facility in Edison, NJ on Wednesday. Other positive cases have been reported at Amazon facilities in Moreno Valley, CA; Jacksonville, FL; Shepherdsville, KY; Brownstown, MI; Oklahoma City, OK; Katy, Texas; and Wallingford, CT.
Learn how The SPL Group can help you navigate through this difficult time. We can help you lock in rates that will not hike in a black swan event.
Amazon has temporarily closed some sites, such as the Queens location, but has largely refrained from mass closures. The company says they are “Taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our sites”.
That includes regularly sanitizing door handles, elevator buttons, lockers and touch screens, as well as staggering shifts and spreading out chairs in break rooms.
The spread of the virus within Amazon’s massive logistics operation may only add to the anxiety among workers who have previously said they felt Amazon should be doing more to protect the hundreds of thousands in its warehouse facilities across the US.
The additional cases also threaten to disrupt shipments and delay deliveries even as millions of Americans are becoming more reliant on the service as they are told to leave their homes as little as possible. The company is already warning visitors to its website of longer delivery times and encouraging customers to select no-rush shipping if their needs are not urgent.
Amazon is witnessing spikes in demand that are comparable to the surge surrounding peak holiday periods such as Black Friday, says Jay Carney, Amazon’s senior vice president of global corporate affairs.
“We’re boosting employment by 100,000 in the way that we do for seasonal periods like the holiday, when we need extra workers,” Carney said.
One worker at the Staten Island facility told CNN Business that despite confirming the positive case to the media, Amazon had not notified workers at the site through email, text message, call or update in the company’s employee app — pointing to a lack of internal transparency.
The SPL Group now offers Corporate Management. Have a senior SPL representative manage your shipping & logistics. We know shipping!
Amazon has temporarily closed some sites, such as the Queens location, but has largely refrained from mass closures. The company says they are “Taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our sites”.
That includes regularly sanitizing door handles, elevator buttons, lockers and touch screens, as well as staggering shifts and spreading out chairs in break rooms.
The spread of the virus within Amazon’s massive logistics operation may only add to the anxiety among workers who have previously said they felt Amazon should be doing more to protect the hundreds of thousands in its warehouse facilities across the US.
The additional cases also threaten to disrupt shipments and delay deliveries even as millions of Americans are becoming more reliant on the service as they are told to leave their homes as little as possible. The company is already warning visitors to its website of longer delivery times and encouraging customers to select no-rush shipping if their needs are not urgent.
Amazon is witnessing spikes in demand that are comparable to the surge surrounding peak holiday periods such as Black Friday, says Jay Carney, Amazon’s senior vice president of global corporate affairs.
“We’re boosting employment by 100,000 in the way that we do for seasonal periods like the holiday, when we need extra workers,” Carney said.
One worker at the Staten Island facility told CNN Business that despite confirming the positive case to the media, Amazon had not notified workers at the site through email, text message, call or update in the company’s employee app — pointing to a lack of internal transparency.
Instacart Plans to Hire 300,000 More Workers as Demand Surges for Grocery Deliveries
In other news, Instacart (the American technology company valued at nearly $8 billion that operates as a same-day grocery delivery and pick-up service in the U.S. and Canada) is experiencing a surge of new workers as people remain in quarantine.
Our team is available for any questions you may have regarding these updates. Please reach out to your The SPL Group representative, or send us an email at info@TheSPLGroup.com for further assistance.
#WereAllInThisTogether #FlattenTheCurve
