E-commerce giant Amazon has installed thermal cameras to detect coronavirus symptoms among workers in its warehouses in the UK and globally.
Amazon will be using the thermal cameras at its warehouses to detect coronavirus symptoms by comparing a person's body heat with that of their surroundings. This technology is relatively faster than using close-range thermometers.
In the US, there have been COVID-19 cases reported at more than 50 of its warehouses. Amazon employees claimed that it was nearly impossible to implement social distancing at the facilities.
An Amazon spokesman said: “We implemented daily temperature checks in our operations locations as an additional preventative measure to support the health and safety of our employees, who continue to provide a critical service in our communities."
"We are now implementing the use of thermal cameras for temperature screening to create a more streamlined experience at some of our sites,” the spokesman added.
The thermal cameras will also be used to replace thermometers at staff entrances to many of the firm's Whole Foods stores.
Warehouse walkout leader terminated
In late March, Amazon confirmed that it has fired Staten Island employee Christian Smalls, who led the walkout at the New York warehouse protesting the company’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The company said Smalls was supposed to be under quarantine. Amazon spokesperson Kristen Kish stated: "Mr. Smalls was found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14 days, which is a measure we’re taking at sites around the world."
"Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite today, March 30, putting the teams at risk," added Kish.
The protest, partly organized by Smalls, called on the company to close down the Staten Island facility for deep cleaning after multiple cases of the coronavirus emerged there.
Smalls, an assistant manager at the facility, claims that many more employees have tested positive for the virus at the facility than the company has publicly acknowledged. He says that as many as five to seven workers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
In response to his termination, Smalls said he is being singled out for punishment it reflects a culture of apathy at Amazon.
He argued: “Everybody’s been warning me that [this] might happen, so I kinda expected it. But for them to do it this way, and for the reasoning behind it, that tells you right there that they, number one, don’t care about people, and number two, it’s just a target, a straight up target.”
Thermal technology and the coronavirus pandemic
Thermascan managing director Dave Blane claims that thermal technology had been widely used after airports globally adopted the technology during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic.
Blane said: "We've seen a rise in the use of thermal technology across a variety of industries, to the point where there is almost trouble to keep up with demand."
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that temperature screening for Covid-19 could yield false positives and would not be effectively screen those who are asymptomatic.
Blane argued that "the technology nowadays can be incredibly accurate" and should be used more widely.
