Amazon postpones Prime Day in India amid Covid-19 surge

Amazon is delaying its annual Prime Day event in India and Canada as both countries witness a strong wave of COVID-19 cases. The e-commerce giant has not announced a rescheduled date for the discount sale.

Amazon had launched the Prime Day sale in 2015. The event is primarily aimed at securing new Prime members and providing a sales boost in the middle of the year.

The company said that the Prime Day sale in June will go ahead in other countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and China.

On May 8, India reported more than 4.01 lakh COVID-19 cases and 4,187 deaths in for the previous 24-hour period, the record highest single-day fatalities. While 1.79 crore patients have recovered so far, the country has over 37.23 lakh active cases. The overall death toll has reached 2.38 lakh.

This wave of infections has led to a severe shortage of hospital beds and supply of oxygen and essential medicines. Several states have imposed lockdowns or strict restrictions to curb the spread of infections.