Amazon India has said it will bear the COVID-19 vaccination cost of over 10 lakh employees, associates, sellers, and others in its partner network system. The e-commerce giant will also cover its delivery service partner associates, comprising Amazon Flex drivers, 'I Have Space' store partners, trucking partners, and their eligible dependents.
This benefit will also be extended to all sellers on Amazon India's platform with active listings since last year.
The COVID-19 vaccination programme is open to all people above 45 years of age, and the company is encouraging those eligible to get themselves inoculated, reported The Indian Express.
"As COVID-19 vaccines become available to individuals above 45 years of age in India, Amazon India is encouraging its employees, associates, sellers on Amazon.in and partners to get vaccinated at the earliest appropriate time to protect themselves, their families, and their communities," Amazon India said in a statement on Monday.
Apart from this, the company has also set up comprehensive support mechanisms for employees and associates working with Amazon and hired through staffing agencies.
"These new benefits are on top of the USD 2.5 billion Amazon has invested in special bonuses and incentives for teams globally over the last year, and the USD 11.5 billion the company has invested in COVID-19-related measures overall," the statement said.
This investment has enabled the company to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and extensive safety measures for employees and partners throughout the global network along with other financial support initiatives, it said.
The Amazon Relief Fund (ARF) was launched in India in April 2020 with an investment of USD 25 million relief fund for partners and continues to provide support to all eligible individuals.
Yesterday, India hit a new coronavirus infection record with over 1.85 lakh new cases. It is the highest single-day rise so far.
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