California is fining Amazon after the company concealed its actual COVID-19 case numbers from state officials.
The Sacramento County Superior Court handed down a judgment on Monday relating to a complaint filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday. Bonta alleged that the company had failed to inform involved parties whenever a COVID-19 case arose.
“As our nation continues to battle the pandemic, it is absolutely critical that businesses do their part to protect workers now — and especially during this holiday season,” Bonta said in a press release.
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Bonta, a Democrat, filed a complaint against Amazon on Friday, claiming that the technology company failed to notify workers and authorities of its COVID-19 case numbers.
Amazon’s decision not to provide this information “prevented employees, the employers of subcontracted employees, and the public from fully accessing information regarding COVID-19 cases,” the complaint claimed.
The judgment said Amazon is now required to issue notifications of new COVID-19 cases within one day of them being reported. It also must notify local health agencies within 48 hours, agree to be monitored by the attorney general’s office, and pay a $2,500 fine for each infraction not reported, totaling $500,000.
Amazon has agreed to comply with the judgment, Bonta told the Los Angeles Times.
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The previous California attorney general, Xavier Becerra, began an investigation in 2020 into whether Amazon was doing enough to minimize infection and keep its employees safe. In December, Becerra demanded that the company comply with state mandates.
Amazon did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
