COVID HIT AMAZON WORKERS HARD ... More Than 19k Cases!

Amazon is doing its part to help stabilize its home turf, pouring additional millions into the Seattle area ... a community devastated by the coronavirus outbreak.

The shipping giant is behind a number of community-related efforts underway in several locations, but especially in Seattle, its primary HQ. Amazon's created a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to provide cash grants to local companies in Seattle and Bellevue, WA. The money's intended to help them continue paying employees, and cover rent and other costs.

The corporation's also made a million-dollar donation to provide sick leave pay or health insurance to Seattle residents -- and pitched in another mil in Washington, D.C. toward medical response teams for the homeless, the elderly and hourly workers.

Of course, the goodwill efforts come on the heels of Amazon catching flak from some of its employees around the world -- some of whom reportedly feel overworked and not totally safe from the pandemic in their warehouses. We're told Amazon's committed to paying them even if they can't work due to COVID-19 cases or schedule changes.

Amazon's payroll expense is about to jump anyway ... because it's hiring at least 100k more people in the U.S. to meet surging demand. All those quarantined customers shopping from home want their stuff now.