Coronavirus Outbreak: Flipkart Urges Sellers To Prioritise Masks, Hand Sanitisers

As the number of coronavirus cases in India increases every day, efforts are being taken across the country to tackle the emergency situation, including businesses that have huge number of employees or partners on the ground. Ecommerce giant Flipkart has issued an advisory to its employees and supply chain staff across all its establishments to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The company has suspended all domestic and international business travel with immediate effect. It has also organised awareness sessions across all its facilities on how our employees and partners can minimise their exposure by following simple precautionary measures and good hygiene practices in line with the guidelines issued by the health ministry.

While huge gatherings are being cancelled and primary schools in many cities are shut, companies have also stepped up measures to tackle the situation effectively and ensure the safety of their employees.

On the consumer front, the company has said that it is working closely with its marketplace partners to ensure availability of hand sanitisers, gloves and masks. “We are aware of the possibility of surging prices of some products on the Flipkart marketplace. While we do not control prices of products on the Flipkart marketplace platform, we are working closely with our sellers to urge responsible pricing and behaviour,” Flipkart said.

The ecommerce giant has also asked sellers to ensure that products like masks, sanitisers, antiseptic liquids and handwash are made available to its customers at all times at the best possible prices. Sellers have been advised to dispatch these products on priority.

As on Wednesday morning (March 11), fresh cases of coronavirus were reported in Kerala and Karnataka, taking the total number of people infected in the country to over 60.

Many companies have thus cancelled all conferences. Flipkart has said in its advisory that it is also promoting the use of video conferences for meetings, including job interviews, and is temporarily avoiding events and training programmes that require large gatherings as a precautionary measure.

As the platform’s delivery partners interact with a lot of customers on a daily basis, training them has become most pertinent for the company. “We are encouraging employees/staff who are unwell to not report to work and also providing our teams with all required material, including sanitisers as they interact with customers across the country,” the company said.

With fake information and products claiming a cure for the virus becoming a threat. Thus, the company has said that products with fake claims and inflated prices are being removed on an ongoing basis. “Certain products may be out of stock on Flipkart due to high customer demand. We are working with our sellers to replenish products and encouraging them to be fair in the prices they are proposing,” it said.

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