COVID-19 is a crisis. The Governors in at least 23 states are urging their residents to stay home to slow the spread of the virus and non-essential businesses have been closed as a protective measure.

Amazon, however, is cashing in on these stay-at-home orders, positioning all of their operations as "essential.” Small businesses are in freefall while Amazon exploits this crisis to monopolize our economy.

Amazon has failed to issue a comprehensive plan to protect its growing workforce from coronavirus exposure, despite the unwise decision to operate as usual. As COVID-19 infections are found in Amazon warehouses, this puts all of us — workers, customers, small-business sellers, and neighbors — at risk.

Amazon workers are walking out of warehouses in protest. Amazon employee Chris Smalls, who, together with dozens of his colleagues in New York City, walked out of work over worker safety and public health concerns, was quickly fired and insulted for speaking up. Amazon working conditions are a national public health concern, and we salute workers' relentless courage and concern for their coworkers, their communities, and our shared public health.

Amazon is not listening to its own employees or customers. It's time for our elected officials to act. If Amazon cannot guarantee the safety of its facilities, then those facilities should not be operating during a public health crisis.

Public officials must safeguard workers' and public health, since Amazon is not taking necessary measures. Demand your governor step in and investigate Amazon for the sake of public safety.

Sign the petition to your governor: Close Amazon warehouses that fail to protect public health NOW.