An announced $30 million aid package will supply Oregon farmers with needed medical supplies and offer financial assistance through fall.
“This pandemic has exacerbated disparities in our systems that already existed—especially for low-income communities, rural communities, immigrants, and communities of color,” said Gov. Kate Brown in a statement. “Oregonians working in agriculture and food processing are providing a vital service, ensuring families continue to have food on their tables and grocery store shelves during this pandemic. And yet, the nature of this work puts agricultural and food processing workers at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19.”
Farm workers and agricultural communities will be sent one million face masks and around 5,000 gallons of hand sanitizer. A $5 million grant will pay for additional COVID-19 field sanitation.
The newly announced “Quarantine Fund” created in partnership with the Oregon Worker Relief Coalition will pay recovering farmworkers. All adult Oregon agricultural workers who are actively self-quarantining due to probable exposure from COVID-19 may qualify.
Reimbursements for hand-washing stations, portable restrooms, and alternative housing for agricultural workers meeting state rules on social distancing are also provided.
The state is also supplying $1 million to pay for employer-provided transportation for farm workers.
Oregon Housing and Community Services will also pay out $3.5 million for safe shelter options, including hotel and motel vouchers for the homelessness and farmworkers with underlying health conditions or hazardous work environments.
A number of large COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported on local Oregon farms, including one in May at Townsend Farms that saw 48 out of 350 season workers infected, as reported by Willamette Week.
Last week, Brown rolled back the reopening phases for Umatilla and Morrow Counties amid rising COVID-19 outbreaks.
No Oregon county save for rural Wheeler county currently meets the governor’s criteria for local schools reopening mere weeks ahead of the new school year in September.
The Oregon Health Authority reported one new death from COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state death total to 326. Another 285 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Sunday brings the state case total to 19,097.
