Is Amazon still doing deliveries in the UK during the coronavirus lockdown?

25 March 2020, 14:36

Is Amazon still delivering in the UK during the pandemic? The retailer has explained changes during the coronavirus outbreak.

As the UK settles into national lockdown for the next three weeks, unnecessary trips to the shops have been banned.

That means many people are turning to Amazon for delivery services, but is the online retailer still working as normal? Find out below…

Is Amazon still doing deliveries in the UK?

Amazon has said it is committed to keep its delivery services open.

In a statement, the online retailer said: "We believe our role serving customers in this time is a critical one. As COVID-19 has spread, we've seen an increase in people shopping online".

Amazon Prime is still working. Picture: PA Images

It also said it was hiring 100,000 people across the US to help with the increased demand and enable them to continue providing a service, especially to the most vulnerable.

If you usually get your orders delivered to your office and are now working from home, make sure to use the correct address.

Will Amazon’s delivery time take longer?

The retailer said orders could be delayed as the company seeks to prioritise deliveries to people who need essential items delivered to their doors, such as the elderly.

This means shipment of non essential products will be paused in order to give more emphasis to medical supplies and essentials.

These are items such as food, health and personal care products, books and items needed to work from home.

“To serve our customers while also helping to ensure the safety of our associates, we’ve changed our logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third-party seller processes to prioritise stocking and delivering items that are a higher priority for our customers," Amazon said in a statement. "This has resulted in some of our delivery promises being longer than usual.”

Some items may also be in short supply as Amazon has said it would only be accepting new stock into its warehouses in early April if it falls under an essential category such as health, household goods or medical supplies.

Is it safe to receive a delivery?

The World Health Organisation has said the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low. WHO has also said that the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.

Amazon delivery drivers have been instructed to limit contact with customers by placing packages on doorsteps and stepping back.

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