While many people in the U.S. are staying at home and quarantining, Amazon.com Inc.’s orders are skyrocketing, according to a New York Times report today.

The problem with that is that Amazon’s warehouses have recently seen a reduction of workers in part because of the coronavirus. In all of its 500 facilities, there have been 50 cases of the virus reported so far, but warehouse workers are worried that Amazon isn’t doing enough to protect them.

Last week, one Amazon worker at a facility in New York was fired after leading a protest. The worker complained that the company was putting its worker at risk, though Amazon said that the employee had not followed the social distancing rules it had implemented.

Today the company said it’s now notifying all its workers at warehouses that if they don’t follow social distancing rules, they will first be given a warning. If they transgress a second time, they could get fired, according to a document obtained by CNBC.

The problem is, social distancing is not always possible at the giant facilities where thousands of people work. Amazon said staff who receive the warning will have been accused of “intentionally” flouting the rules. The company added that it will use machine learning technology and closed-circuit television to keep an eye on workers.

Some Amazon staff are saying they are now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Rumors circulated today that more strikes are on the way. Workers at the same New York facility in which there was a protest last week are saying Amazon needs to close the facility and there needs to be a deep-cleaning.

Five cases of COVID-19 have been reported at that particular facility, though workers are saying there have been closer to 25 cases.

Despite internal notes shared with executives showing how Amazon intended to smear the fired protester and therefore undermine any other strikes, the company said it has implemented a number of guidelines to keep workers safe.

They included temperature checks and workers being sent home for at least three days if their temperature is high, although as some current employees said last week, staying at home and not being paid has led to dire financial difficulties for some.

Amazon has employed thousands more new workers to deal with the high demand for items and the illnesses of regular workers.

Photo: Scott Lewis/Flickr