The Risk The Coronavirus Poses To Georgia’s Farmworkers

In Georgia, the Vidalia onions and first wave of blueberries are already in stores. Sweet corn is getting picked now, and agricultural workers from out of state and out of the country are here – or heading here – to help pick Georgia’s fruits and vegetables.

Tens of thousands of people travel to Georgia every year to work in farm fields and in packing plants. Many of them live in close quarters and get to work in crowded buses, and that’s raised concerns about the coronavirus spreading in a community with limited access to health care.

“Many of these farm workers, including my parents, they don’t make enough money to get health insurance, or their employer doesn’t provide them health insurance,” Erick Martinez Juarez said.