China News Agency, San Francisco, April 2nd. A number of U.S. media reported on the 2nd local time that Amazon temporarily stopped providing N95 masks to the public and gave priority to hospitals, government agencies and other groups with the necessary supplies to fight the epidemic.
Americans in epidemic go shopping
According to the US Consumer News and Business Channel, Amazon has recently launched a dedicated section on its website to combat new coronavirus-related necessities. In the new section, two links are available for material suppliers and demanders to click on. Any U.S. accredited hospital, as well as state and federal agencies, can fill out forms to apply for essentials such as N95 masks, surgical masks, face masks, surgical gowns, surgical gloves, and high-volume disinfectants. Currently, Amazon does not accept applications from individuals or non-compliant organizations, but the public can still purchase items such as small disinfectants and wipes for personal use.
At the same time, to encourage third-party sellers to provide anti-epidemic materials, Amazon also waived their standard referral fees before June 30. Usually, the seller pays a referral fee for each item sold.
Amazon also said that the company will not profit from these orders. Bloomberg reported that Dave Clark, the head of Amazon Logistics, said on the same day that millions of protective masks would arrive this week. Amazon will donate some of the N95 masks it receives to healthcare workers, and the company will sell these masks at cost through its commercial and government sales programs.
An Amazon spokesperson said its stores are no longer allowed to sell certain new coronavirus-related items to ensure that scarce medical supplies are available to hospitals and government agencies during the fight against the epidemic. In addition to N95 masks and similar masks, Amazon also restricts the public from purchasing new coronavirus test kits. Amazon will also monitor other types of products to determine whether it should give priority to selling them to hospitals and government agencies.
CBS reports that Amazon is under unprecedented pressure as many customers in the United States continue to implement travel bans and many customers have shifted some shopping behaviors online. Amazon said on the 2nd that the company has hired more than 80,000 new employees and plans to recruit another 20,000. (Finish)