Seattle, May 28 (IANS): Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has rebutted claims about Covid-19 health concerns at the warehouses, saying the ecommerce giant has taken this seriously from the very beginning.

In the annual shareholders meeting online on Wednesday, Bezos said thanked front-line warehouse and delivery employees, saying they've provided a "lifeline" to customers who've been stuck at home, reports CNBC.

"I am deeply grateful for each of you for the important work you are doing for customers," Bezos was quoted as saying.

"I'm proud of the job the team has done there. We've taken this seriously from the very beginning," he said about the health checks at Amazon warehouses.

At least eight Amazon warehouse worker in the US to have lost their lives due to complications from Covid-19, although the e-commerce giant has not disclosed the exact numbers.

Bezos told the shareholders in the virtual meeting that that Amazon is now "in the process" of building its own testing laboratories, with the hopes of administering tests to warehouse workers across the country.

Bezos also disputed claims that Amazon fired employees for speaking out against its labour practices.

Amazon has faced several protests in the past from former and current employees regarding the safety of warehouse workers.

The e-commerce giant, however, said that it has put in place a number of safety measures like making masks available in addition to doing deep cleaning of high-touch areas and disinfectant spraying.

Currently, the Amazon team behind products like Kindle e-readers and Echo smart home speakers is working on to build Covid-19 testing capabilities.

Amazon's hardware group Lab126 is hiring engineers to work on its coronavirus testing initiative.