Name: 'Essential' Farmworkers Risk Infection and Deportation. Here's Why. | Coronavirus News
Uploaded: 2021-06-02T08:50:53.000Z
Duration: 8 min 1 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

relying on a mostly undocumented workforce

that the federal government called essential.

“Advocates for farmworkers say they should

as a matter of national food security.”

the first large-scale effort to vaccinate farm workers.

But the challenges they faced in doing so

revealed just how marginalized this community has become.

“Put Americans first.  Put Americans first.”

“Farmworkers have been on the front lines.

“Promising amnesty to those who are already here

illegally encourages more aliens to come illegally.”

This is usually an inspection site at a grape and date farm.

their very first batch of vaccines for farm workers,

But it's a very large community, about 20,000

to vaccinate at least 70 percent of our population.”

Riverside County is known for Palm Springs and premier

golf courses, but it's also home to the farming region

where in December, Covid positivity rates reached

And so we know that the opportunity for transmission

My job is to make sure that our community is healthy.

If somebody gets Covid-19, doesn't matter if they're

to the community just like any other person.”

But while prioritizing farmworkers on paper

is one thing, actually getting shots in arms is another.

“Their access to resources aren't there.

Right, there's not a lot of public transportation

And so to reach these workers, the county

“Hey, Brett, really, really good news for you.

Friday, vaccinations for your employees.”

of the Coachella Valley Growers Association.

Lately, she's been a de facto public health administrator

for the county, coordinating vaccine clinics

through her network of local farm owners.

“This process has been very challenging.

You know, I'm used to working more with plants

I've been telling everybody just to be patient.

borrowed Social Security numbers with employers.

These workers may not even know about the county's

on community organizations to reach people more directly.

“We have been telling the community that

But we cannot judge our community for not

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'Essential' Farmworkers Risk Infection and Deportation. Here's Why. | Coronavirus News

essential

opportunity

prioritize

empathy