Amazon Employee in Seattle Tests Positive for Novel Coronavirus

An Amazon employee at the company’s Seattle headquarters has tested positive for the novel coronavirus spreading across the country.

The employee went home sick on Feb. 25, and later tested positive for COVID-19. Amazon notified employees who came into close contact with the individual. The employee is based out of Amazon’s Brazil building at 400 9th Ave N, near downtown Seattle.

Amazon is advising employees who are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus to stay home and seek medical attention. The company is conducting “enhanced deep cleaning and sanitization” at the office.

Amazon employs more than 50,000 people in the Seattle region, most of whom are clustered at the headquarters in South Lake Union.

More than 20 people in the Seattle region have tested positive for COVID-19 and eight people have died, according to state health officials. King County, which has Seattle as its county seat, has become a hotspot for the outbreak in the U.S.