BENGALURU (Bywire News) - On Friday it was announced that the annual Amazon Prime Day sale would not take place in India. A spokesperson for Amazon said this is due to the severe situation in India, with COVID-19 taking the country by storm, leaving thousands dead.
In the last week alone, India has recorded a total of 1.5 million new COVID-19 infections, and a record number of daily death tolls, as the country's hospitals struggle to cope.
Amazon, Google and several Indian firms have all offered to help India battle the coronavirus outbreak by donating a variety of goods and services. Anything from airlifting medical supplies to supplying oxygen or funding pledges.
The plans to halt the Amazon Prime Day in India were initially reported on Friday by CNBC.
The event, which is usually held in July to improve sales, is only on offer to members by Amazon. This is a key marketing technique for Amazon Prime, a stream-line online shopping service that encourages users to shop more on Amazon.
(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru and Klaudia Fior; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)