Essential but Exposed: Farmworkers are risking their lives to feed a nation on lockdown.
Every day when Carmelita finishes her shift in the strawberry fields of California’s central coast, she sprays herself down with Lysol, takes off the handkerchief she uses to protect her face, and tucks it in a plastic bag before getting in her car. She’s the sole provider for her two young sons and can’t afford to miss a day on the job.
But these days, with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the country, that’s getting much tougher. Carmelita carefully follows the safety precautions recommended by health experts, but that’s especially difficult in the fields. The farm where she works in Oxnard isn’t enforcing safety protocols, the 44-year-old farmworker told Grist. (Carmelita requested that her last name be withheld because of fear of reprisals from her employer.)
