Amazon has been fined US$500,000 for hiding the amount of active COVID-19 cases at its Californian warehouses from employees.

The fine is the first to fall under California’s new ‘COVID Right To Know’ laws, with Amazon now forced to institute better case tracking systems, which include informing all warehouse workers of the “exact number of new COVID-19 cases in their workplaces” within 24 hours.

California attorney general Rob Bonta said: “As our nation continues to battle the pandemic, it is absolutely critical that businesses do their part to protect workers now — and especially during this holiday season.

“Californians have a right to know about potential exposures to the coronavirus to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”