Amazon postpones Prime Day sale in Canada, India due to Covid-19

Amazon.com Inc. is pausing plans for its annual sale Prime Day in Canada and India due to concerns about Covid-19, the company confirmed on Thursday. The pause won’t affect Prime Day in the U.S., which is scheduled for an undisclosed day in June, according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg.

“Based on the increasing impact of Covid-19 in Canada, and the importance we place on protecting the health and safety of our employees and customers, we will pause plans for Prime Day 2021 in Canada,” said the email, sent to Amazon sellers Thursday. The Seattle-based company, in an email, confirmed Prime Day would also be postponed in India, which was reported earlier by CNBC.

Covid-19 cases have risen in Canada in recent months amid a slower-than-expected rollout of vaccinations. Less than 3% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, and Ontario, the largest province, has been under an emergency stay-at-home order for weeks. India, which is suffering severe shortages of medical equipment, on Thursday reported 412,262 new virus cases and 3,980 deaths, both daily records.

Amazon had to postpone its annual sale worldwide last year due to the pandemic. The event is a way to drum up sales during the summer and attract and retain new Prime subscribers, who pay monthly or annual fees for delivery discounts and other services like video streaming.

© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.