, Columnist
An Outbreak Among Farm Workers Would Be Catastrophic
It is difficult to protect agricultural laborers and would be even harder to replace them.
Essential workers.
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There is no evidence that Covid-19 has been transmitted by food or food packaging, according to U.S. federal health agencies. How the virus fares among food workers may be a different story.
By law, food manufacturers must prevent anyone who is sick or has a communicable disease from handling, processing or preparing food for human consumption. But much of the food supply chain is staffed by low-wage workers, many of them undocumented immigrants with limited ties to health services.