Amazon announced this morning they will suspend all shipments of items from independent merchants to its warehouses that are not medical supplies or “high demand” products at this time.
The suspension will last through April 5th as Amazon attempts to prioritize products related to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The decision comes after Amazon saw the increase in demand around the world. Many vendors have gone out of stock with items related to cleaning supplies and other essential items for combating COVID-19.
Products that are already en route to warehouses will be accepted and shipped, but no new products will be accepted for the next three weeks. On Monday, Amazon announced it would hire 100,000 new employees to aid in the demanded supply for its services.
“We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the
US in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in
demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time,
particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public,” the company
explained in statement.