AMARILLO, Texas — An Amazon fulfillment center in Texas has been forced to close due to an infestation of bedbugs.
A spokesperson for Amazon told KVII that the Amarillo site was temporarily shut down after the bugs were identified.
Bedbugs are common pests that feed on blood, creating itchy bites, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and United States Department of Agriculture all consider bedbugs a public health pest.
Amazon officials said the products from its fulfillment center will be shipped to vendors, recycled or donated after appropriate processing, KAMR/KCIT reported. The Amarillo facility does not process outgoing customer orders and only processes returns from customers.
Employees contacted KVII about the bedbugs, saying that they were being bitten by the pests at work. In a statement to the station, an Amazon spokesperson said, “All employees are being paid while the site is closed and customer orders are being handled by other sites in the area.”
Bedbugs cannot transmit or spread disease, according to the EPA.
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