Amazon India Suspends Sales of Non-essential Items in Delhi, Says Delivery Time to be Affected

E-commerce giant Amazon India has suspended sales of non-essential items after the Government of Delhi decided to extend the lockdown by another week in the capital due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The Amazon app is now only accepting orders for essentials and says that delivery time may be affected depending on the situation in the area. Those who have ordered non-essential items prior to the lockdown may have to wait until the curfew orders are lifted by the Government of Delhi.

“In light of the latest government guidelines, we are taking orders of essential products only. Deliveries may take longer than normal,” says Amazon India. Furthermore, refunds also may take up to six days to be processed in case a customer decides to cancel their order and process for refunds. Some of the essentials that can be ordered are handwash, sanitizers, masks, healthcare devices, groceries, baby essentials, grooming devices, pet care supplies, cleaning products and so on.

This development has come to light after the Government of Delhi announced a lockdown starting from 19 April 2021 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country that led to acute oxygen shortage in the capital. Amazon India has also announced Mission Vayu to bring in 10,000 oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines into India on an immediate basis.

The company has partnered with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) and other partners to urgently airlift over 8000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore. Amazon India will bear the cost of airlifting these medical equipments, which will be donated to hospitals and public institutions to augment their capacity to help COVID-19 infected patients across multiple cities.