Amazon says ‘household staples’ are out of stock, deliveries delayed amid coronavirus

“Household staples” at Amazon are out of stock as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., the company announced in an update to a blog post Saturday.

Amazon did not elaborate on which household items are sold out, but searches for items such as toilet paper and bottled water showed a number of out-of-stock listings, CNBC reported.

“As COVID-19 has spread, we’ve recently seen an increase in people shopping online. In the short term, this is having an impact on how we serve our customers,” the post said. “In particular, you will notice that we are currently out of stock on some popular brands and items, especially in household staples categories.”

Amazon added that some of its promised delivery times have also been delayed.

The company wrote that it’s “working around the clock” to make sure products are available and that orders can be delivered.

To ward against price gouging during the global pandemic, Amazon says it has already blocked or removed tens of thousands of items and is consistently monitoring the online store, according to the post.

Last month, a pack of 10 N95 respirator masks, regularly priced at $18.20, spiked to nearly $200, McClatchy reported.

To help others maintain social distance, Amazon is also offering Prime Now, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market customers an “unattended delivery” option so they do not have to be in contact with other people, the company said.

To help prevent the spread of coronavirus, Amazon asked employees who can work from home to do so through the end of March.

Any Amazon employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay along with unlimited time off for hourly employees, the company said.

This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 4:58 PM.