Amazon provides free COVID-19 health insurance for its sellers

Amazon.in on Wednesday announced that it was providing a COVID-19 health insurance, completely free of cost, for its sellers in India.

The insurance will help cover the expenses related to COVID-19 hospitalisation and treatment as well as ambulance assistance and ICU charges of up to Rs 50,000, and it will be valid for one year after activation, the company said in a statement.

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Amazon has partnered with Acko General Insurance to manage the policy delivery and handling of claims and reimbursements.

This will benefit lakhs of Amazon sellers - anyone who has had an active product listing on Amazon.in between January 2019 and May 26, 2020, the statement said.

Vice President, Seller Services, Amazon India, Gopal Pillai, said, "While we sincerely hope none of our sellers need to use this, we want to make sure they have a sense of security and one less thing to worry about and can focus on developing their business".

Also recently the leading ecommerce marketplace announced that it has opened 50,000 seasonal roles to meet the surge in demand and these jobs will be in their fulfillment centres, delivery network, and part-time work as part independent contractors.

According to Amazon India, these individuals will be part of the pick, pack, ship, and deliver orders teams.

Akhil Saxena, VP, Customer Fulfillment Operations, APAC, MENA & LATAM, Amazon, said,

“One thing we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is how important a role Amazon and ecommerce can play for our customers as much as for small businesses and the economy. We take this responsibility seriously, and we’re proud of the work our teams are doing to help small and other businesses deliver to our customers through this difficult time.”

The ecommerce industry in India has also come under severe strain due to the ongoing lockdown across the country. Initially, there was certain confusion on segregation of delivery into essentials and non-essentials.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)