The Potential Impact of COVID-19 on H-2A Agricultural Workers.
J Agromedicine
; 25(4): 367-369, 2020 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1174760
ABSTRACT
The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on farmworker communities has been well documented by the media. The virus overlays existing health disparities among farmworkers, but the population is not homogenous. One group of workers that may be even more vulnerable to the transmission of COVID-19 is the H-2A temporary worker population, because they have less control over their physical environments than domestic farmworkers, who may obtain their own housing and transportation. The H-2A program was recently altered at the federal level to ensure a steady flow of essential workers that can protect the nation's food supply during a crisis. Yet, in spite of increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in states with significant H-2A worker populations, the federal rule that temporarily expanded the H-2A program did not address needs to protect workers' health. Although the CDC has developed recommendations for the agricultural industry to safeguard against COVID-19, most health and safety regulation for farmworkers are left to state and local agencies that may lack knowledge or resources to effectively address the needs of a specialized growing workforce such as H-2A workers. More research is needed on the disparate health and safety needs of H-2A workers to assess how policy can be tailored to reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus among the population.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Agriculture
/
Workforce
/
Farmers
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Agromedicine
Journal subject:
Occupational Medicine
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
1059924X.2020.1814922
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