Farmworkers across the country are contracting Covid-19, and labor advocates say that their employers are not doing enough to keep them safe.
The U.S. meat supply has already seen production lag due to outbreaks in slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 16,200 workers across 23 states have tested positive for the virus. Total production of federally inspected red meat and poultry fell 8% in April and 13% in May, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Marielos Cisneros, a production clerk for Primex Farms in Wasco, California and a single mother, tested positive for Covid-19 in June and still feels nauseous when she eats. She said that the farm's human resources department told her not to tell other employees about her diagnosis. Cisneros believes her four children caught the virus from her.
Primex said that it has tested all of its employees for Covid-19, and 150 workers tested positive. Over 70 have returned to work with permission from a medical professional or a health department official. "A lot of places are operating just as usual," said Armando Elenes, secretary treasurer of United Farm Workers, which primarily represents laborers in California, Oregon and Washington.
Velasquez said that he suspects there are many unreported cases. He said some workers may be reluctant to get tested for Covid-19 because they fear not being paid while they are quarantining or recovering from the illness, although legally their employer must pay them.
These guys should get hazard pay. No taxes.
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