Tech firms are taking certain precautions amidst nationwide demonstrations motivated by the recent death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. As reported by Bloomberg, Amazon has reduced the number of deliveries and modified routes in major cities, while Apple is keeping some stores closed to avoid possible looting.
"We are monitoring the situation closely," an Amazon spokesperson told the news site. "In a handful of cities we adjusted routes or scaled back typical operations to ensure the safety of our teams."
Drivers making deliveries in Chicago and Los Angeles on Saturday night were told to "stop immediately and return home." "If you have not completed your route, please return undelivered packages to the pick-up location whenever you're able to do so," according to an internal message published by Bloomberg. Amazon remains "in close contact with local officials and will continue to monitor the protests," a memo said; the company will reopen delivery stations "when it's safe," and devise new routes based on planned demonstrations.
Apple last month began reopening retail locations as COVID-19 lockdown rules eased across the US. The company—ready to close any shop if local conditions change—detailed what the new normal will look like: daily deep cleans, one-to-one service, temperature checks, and face mask requirements for employees and customers. The firm had recently reopened 130 of its 270 stores, according to Bloomberg. But on Sunday, as folks around the country joined anti-racist protests, Apple made the swift decision to "keep a number of our stores in the U.S. closed," a company statement said.
Neither Amazon nor Apple immediately responded to PCMag's request for comment.
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