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Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

latimes.com

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Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#3

You don't catch anything from a strawberry. This job is fundamentally no different from others, and way safer than for instance fast-food-window worker.

These farm workers live in bunk houses basically and are trucked in on school buses. Most of them are migrant laborers or undocumented immigrants.

Those conditions are not safe.

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#4

You don't catch anything from a strawberry. This job is fundamentally no different from others, and way safer than for instance fast-food-window worker.

Strawberry pickers typically work very close to one another with hundreds in the same area of a field at once, with lots of trucks as central points to put the fruit, etc.

Workers also typically live on caravans near/on the fields in very cramped quarters to save commute time/cost.

That could easily be changed to a more distributed method with per-worker wheelbarrows or backpacks, but presumably that would decrease throughput and increase costs.

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#5
I would think out of every job in a supply chain field workers would be some of the best protected by default. Not (often) working in air-recircuculated environments, many already wear face masks and gloves, less crowded than warehouses, working in the sun and often more humid environments.

The big issues I think would be sick pay (mentioned), or migrating workers who travel very far, including across borders.

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#6
post #3

You don't catch anything from a strawberry. This job is fundamentally no different from others, and way safer than for instance fast-food-window worker.

These farm workers live in bunk houses basically and are trucked in on school buses. Most of them are migrant laborers or undocumented immigrants. Those conditions are not safe.

Nothing to do with the title - strawberries aren't the risk.

Hopefully masks are there when travelling? And an isolated cohort in a bunkhouse has some benefits. Of course it only takes one.

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#7
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These farm workers live in bunk houses basically and are trucked in on school buses. Most of them are migrant laborers or undocumented immigrants. Those conditions are not safe.

Nothing to do with the title - strawberries aren't the risk. Hopefully masks are there when travelling? And an isolated cohort in a bunkhouse has some benefits. Of course it only takes one.

Consider reading the article instead of making a snap judgement based on the title.

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing to do with the title - strawberries aren't the risk. Hopefully masks are there when travelling? And an isolated cohort in a bunkhouse has some benefits. Of course it only takes one.

Consider reading the article instead of making a snap judgement based on the title.

[deleted]

Re: Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: ‘You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom’

#9

I would think out of every job in a supply chain field workers would be some of the best protected by default. Not (often) working in air-recircuculated environments, many already wear face masks and gloves, less crowded than warehouses, working in the sun and often more humid environments. The big issues I think would be sick pay (mentioned), or migrating workers who travel very far, including across borders.

[ Edit: I changed my mind about this comment. ]
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