On August 14, the Governor announced a new initiative on mobile testing in order to reduce the spread of COVID through seasonal workers. While this might not impact you directly, there is state guidance on prevention and response to COVID-19 on farms that applies to all farms.
It indicates that you should work with your local health department for screening, isolation and quarantine, and housing needs.
I have also heard, but don’t yet completely understand, that farms will be contacted to register for the additional testing. If you know more than I, please pass along the information. When I learn more, I will let you know.
Thanks to Liz Higgins from Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture of Cornell Cooperative Extension for this additional information on the NYS COVID mobile farmworker testing initiative I mentioned yesterday.
The initiative is limited to 5 counties – Wayne, Clinton, Genesee, Ulster and Erie. The DOL and Health Dept will be directly reaching out to farms in those counties with seasonal farm workers to set up testing sites on their farms, farms will register. Farms outside of those counties can send workers in for testing, but the focused sites will be limited to the 5 counties right now because of limited resources. I don’t have all the links yet, but when I have the links I will send them to you.
Resources:
Safe Harvest 2020:COVID-19 Office Hours for Agriculture – starting August 25 at 4:00 pm EST – to ask questions on managing and protecting the farm workforce
https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/category/coronavirus/
NYS Guidance document:
https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/05/agm-doh_covid19_cleaningfarm.pdf
Farmworker prevention tips:
https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/05/dol-doh-agm_farmworkerpreventiontips.pdf
Farm Operator Checklist:
https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/05/agm-doh-dol_covid19_operatorchecklist.pdf
NY Farm Bureau information on the updates – https://www.nyfb.org/news/covid-19-updates/ag-labor-resources
CDC Guidance – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-agricultural-workers.html