Worker advisory pushes testing
SALINAS >> With thousands of Salinas Valley farmworkers returning to work as the spring season starts locally, Monterey County and the local agricultural industry have issued an updated COVID-19 ag worker advisory, underscoring the need for more testing among other workplace safety guidelines. Last week, the Board of Supervisors unanimously offered their stamp of approval for the latest version of the ag worker advisory. It was developed by a group of ag industry organizations along with county Ag Commissioner Henry Gonzalez and an ad hoc committee including Supervisors Luis Alejo and Chris Lopez.
In addition to the county and the ag commissioner, the advisory is backed by the Monterey County Farm Bureau, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California, the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, the Coastal Growers Association, and the California Strawberry Association.
The advisory is the ninth version of one issued nearly a year ago as the first of its kind in the nation.
The new version, which is posted on the ag commissioner website, offers guidance to ag industry employers based on “best practices” offered by the federal Centers for Disease Control, California Department of Public Health, World Health Organization, and local public health departments. It advises on everything from regular testing of employees and how to address workers who test positive for the virus to employee housing services, supplemental wage replacement, and transportation, as well as links to COVID-19 information and resources.
The advisory acknowledges the need to maintain ag industry safety measures with the approaching start of the spring season that sees many of the area’s 55,000 farmworkers return to work in the fields. An estimated 15,000 are expected to migrate to the area from places such as Yuma, Arizona, Imperial County and Mexico.
And it acknowledges still limited access to the COVID-19 vaccine as vaccination efforts aimed at farmworkers are still in the rollout phase with the number of doses being sent to the county still relatively low.
Last month, county health officials announced that farmworkers 65 and older would be eligible for the vaccine. Last week the Grower Shipper Association and Clinica de Salud began vaccine administration for the local workforce and is expected to benefit from federal vaccine supplies.
“While we all wait for broader distribution of vaccines, agricultural employers strive to prevent, decrease and lower the impact of COVID-19 in our fields, workplaces, homes and community,” the advisory reads. “Food production and maintaining our national food supply chain are essential while protecting the health of our workers and the broader community.
“Through this advisory, all listed organizations support and encourage the agricultural community to expeditiously implement these protective measures at their worksite.”
Lopez said the goal of an updated advisory was to be sure the local industry had the “knowledge, and tool kit, needed for keeping their employees safe.” He noted the state’s regulations are “ever-shifting” and that “many more resources have been developed” since earlier protocols were issued. He added that not all local ag companies have the capacity to keep up with the changes. He said the biggest change from previous advisories is the testing element with its list of resources, both public and private.
Vintners and Growers Association Executive Director Kim Stemler said the ag industry simply can’t afford to have its workforce out of commission with the virus and since vaccinating tens of thousands of ag workers will take some time it’s important to have other safety measures, including regular testing, in place.
As for testing, the advisory reads, “Until there is enough natural and vaccine-induced immunity in the country, testing remains essential to combat the virus.”
The advisory suggests initial testing of workers before entering a workplace, periodic testing of workers at regular intervals, targeted testing of new workers or those returning from a prolonged absence such as medical leave, furlough, or working in a different location, or some combination of those measures.
It also notes the county and state offer free local testing sites and offers a link, points out that employers can also arrange for private testing like local ag businesses have done through Virus Geeks and Lifeline, and Arc Point Labs, and can arrange for bulk purchase and other agreements with local health clinics including Pinnacle Healthcare, Doctors on Duty, and Clinica de Salud.
Last month, county health officials announced that farmworkers 65 and older would be eligible for the vaccine. Last week the Grower Shipper Association and Clinica de Salud began vaccine administration for the local workforce and is expected to benefit from federal vaccine supplies.