Vaccines become more accessible to farmworkers, but many still struggle with internet access
From tight living quarters to high rates of chronic illnesses to no sick leave protections, immigrant farm workers have found themselves in particularly vulnerable positions as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout North Carolina.
During the summer of 2020, hundreds of farm workers fell ill at more than 30 farms as COVID ripped through the greater community. Farmworker advocates issued numerous calls to Gov. Roy Cooper, demanding he and other state officials implement policies to better protect workers. Cooper seemed likely to meet the demands, though eventually he changed course.
The state’s Department of Health and Human Services does not track COVID-19 infections by profession. At the start, the department tracked farmworker housing with outbreaks, as it does with other congregate living settings such as nursing homes and adult care facilities. But by summer 2020, the department changed its record keeping.