As companies continue to struggle to keep lights on and smaller businesses struggle to keep the doors open due to economic constraints caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon has looked at digital solutions to try and flatten the curve while also keeping their workers safe.
The e-commerce company has installed thermal cameras at its operations locations in New York, California and Washington, according to a statement published in CNN.
These new devices require less contact and are quicker than the forehead cameras Amazon had initially introduced.
"We implemented daily temperature checks in our operations locations as an additional preventative measure to support the health and safety of our employees who continue to provide a critical service in our communities," said Amazon spokesperson, Kristen Kish in a statement. "We are now implementing the use of thermal cameras for temperature screening to create a more streamlined experience at some of our sites."
These new measures come after several cases were reported at Amazon facilities resulting into uncontrolled walkouts by employees over Covid-19 precautionary measures.
The company released a statement to say that it has made more than 150 process changes. This includes improved disinfectants, sanitization of warehouses and deploying face masks to workers across its US and European networks, as well as its Whole Foods Market stores.
Thermal cameras will also replace thermometers at worker entrances to many of Amazon's Whole Foods stores, according to a recent staff note seen by Reuters and previously reported by Business Insider.
The company performs a second, forehead thermometer check on anyone flagged by the cameras to determine an exact temperature, one of the workers said. An international standard requires the extra check, though one camera system maker said the infrared scan is more accurate than a thermometer.