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Friday, January 15, 2021 CapitalPress.com 3 Oregon Farm Bureau petitions for changes to state COVID-19 labor housing rules By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press SALEM — The Ore- gon Farm Bureau is asking state regulators to amend emergency COVID-19 protections for migrant and seasonal farmworkers living in agricultural labor camps, arguing the rule as currently written contains serious flaws. In a petition submit- ted Jan. 4 to the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Farm Bureau says a signif- icant number of farmwork- ers are being displaced by reducing housing capac- ity — which, ironically, potentially increases their exposure to the coronavirus. “Inexplicably, Oregon OSHA’s rules ... all but ensure that most agricul- tural occupants will not be able to live on-farm in safe shelter, and instead pushes them to entirely unregu- lated environments,” the petition states. “Specifi- cally, the prohibition on bunk beds, bed spacing requirements and need for isolation units has drasti- cally reduced the number of employees who can be housed on-farm.” Samantha Bayer, pol- icy counsel for the Farm Bureau, said the group is asking for Oregon OSHA to adopt amendments that would allow bunk beds; scale back “arbitrary” sanitation requirements; and establish a contin- gency plan for COVID-19 outbreaks. “Because our concerns with the current rules have continually fallen upon deaf ears, filing a for- mal petition is the only way to ensure that agri- cultural housing provid- ers will have a seat at the table when determining how best to manage their housing and protect their employees during COVID- 19,” Bayer said. Aaron Corvin, a spokes- man for Oregon OSHA, said the agency is review- ing the petition. Oregon OSHA initially adopted temporary hous- ing and field sanitation rules in June 2020, based on a petition from the Ore- gon Law Center and Vir- ginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, advocating on behalf of farmworkers. Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order one day before the rules were set to expire on Oct. 24, extend- Associated Press/East Oregonian A senior citizen receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the The Palace as- sisted living facility Jan. 12 in Coral Gables, Fla. It could be months before vaccines are available for farmworkers. When to expect COVID-19 vaccines for farm and food workers By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press Capital Press FIle The use of bunk beds is among the issues discussed in an Oregon Farm Bureau petition seeking changes in OSHA’s COVID-19 rules for housing farmworkers. ing the housing require- ments through at least April 30. The rule stipulates that beds must be spaced at least 6 feet apart or sepa- rated by an impermeable barrier, such as Plexiglass or heavy plastic sheets. Unrelated workers can- not share bunk beds, and those who test positive for COVID-19 must be iso- lated in their own separate facilities. Violators may be sub- ject to a Class C mis- demeanor, according to Brown’s executive order. But Bayer said the measures come with a trade-off. “Yes, you’ve reduced your on-farm capacity and density, but you’ve pushed farmworkers to unreg- ulated living situations where their exposure to COVID-19 is potentially greater,” she said. “Hous- ing capacity and creating more opportunities for safe shelter is one of the biggest deficiencies (in the rule).” Farms have reported their housing capacity has been cut by as much as 50% in some cases, Bayer said, while others sim- ply opted not to open their labor camps and eschewed hiring their usual migrant workers. The Farm Bureau’s petition notably calls for bringing back bunk beds, and though it would main- tain the distance between beds at 6 feet, that would be measured from the cen- ter point of each mattress. Current rules also call for sanitizing high-touch surface areas at least twice per day, and portable toi- lets at least three times per day. That is not only expensive, Bayer said, but requires farm opera- tors to be in greater contact with workers, potentially increasing their exposure. The petition, instead, calls for high-touch sur- faces and common areas to be cleaned every 48 hours. Workers would be encour- aged to clean and sani- tize their personal spaces — including bed frames, nightstands, storage spaces and lockers — as much as possible. “We just don’t feel that robbing employees of their autonomy, and ability to clean their own spaces … is an appropriate response to COVID-19,” Bayer said. Finally, the petition includes language for sig- nage, masks, building ven- tilation and what to do if a worker tests positive. As proposed, the amended rules would come into effect immediately and would sun- set at the end of COVID-19 emergency orders. “We hope this petition shows the state and the public what we already know to be true — Ore- gon’s farm and ranch fam- ilies will walk the walk when it comes to protect- ing the well-being of those who work and live on the farm,” Bayer said. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is underway across the West, but it could be months before farmworkers and others in the food sector receive vaccination. In most Western states, food and agriculture work- ers will be third or fourth in line for vaccines. People 65 and older and people with pre-existing health conditions will come first. The Trump administra- tion originally advised states to put health care work- ers as the highest-priority group, but the Department of Health and Human Ser- vices announced sweeping changes to the plan Tues- day, urging states to priori- tize aging people and those with underlying conditions. Officials say it could take months to vaccinate these groups. Nationwide, about 53 million people are 65 or older and more than 100 mil- lion people have high-risk medical conditions, accord- ing to the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention. The new policy created confusion among states that have been following their own timelines. Unless fed- eral regulators decide to enforce the directive, states will maintain freedom to follow original plans. But officials say most states will likely comply with the new recommendations. Oregon has been in Phase 1a of a four-phase plan, focused on vaccinat- ing health care workers. The Oregon Health Author- ity, or OHA, estimates this includes between 300,000 and 400,000 indi- viduals. As of Jan. 10, 104,595 vaccinations have already been administered to health workers. Under the new plan, the state will move the 764,400 people aged 65 and older to the front of the line Jan. 23. Oregon will simultane- ously vaccinate remaining health workers, along with childcare workers and K-12 school and school district staff — about 110,000 peo- ple, according to the state Department of Education. Then others in Phase 1b will become eligible, includ- ing “workers who are in industries essential to the functioning of society” with “substantially higher risk of exposure.” This would include the agricultural sec- tor, but OHA has yet to decide which occupations come first. Several farm groups, commodity associations and food processing com- panies have sent letters to Gov. Kate Brown and OHA asking for their workers to receive high priority. In California, under the new directive, people 65 and older — about 14.8% of the population — will get vaccinated first along with those with underlying health conditions. Health care workers, about 2.4 million people, will either be second in line or vaccinated simulta- neously, which is yet to be decided. Then will come Phase 1b, which includes “essential” workers in the education, childcare, emergency ser- vices and the food and agri- culture sectors. Idaho is sticking close to its original plan. Gov. Brad Little late Tuesday announced that after health care workers, the state will prioritize teachers, school staff, first responders and some other frontline work- ers between Jan. 13-31 before making doses avail- able to the 65-and-up popu- lation Feb. 1-15. Starting mid-February, the state predicts vaccine rollout will begin for food and agriculture workers. In Washington state, Tuesday’s directive won’t likely have a significant impact on timing. That’s because, prior to Tuesday, Washington’s health care workers were first in line and aging population second in line. The new order will just reverse these two groups, and agricultural work- ers will likely remain in Tier 2 of Phase 1b — approximately third in line. The Washington Farm Bureau says the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan has “failure written all over it.” Agriculture has been working “diligently” to explain the importance of getting the entire agricul- ture workforce vaccinated as soon as possible, said Bre Elsey, associate director of government relations for the bureau. She cited the state’s planned arrival dates, roll- out dates and implementa- tion delays. S225660-1 Best Prices on Irrigation Supplies 24-hour Commercial REFRIGERATION HVAC Serving Oregon and SW Washington. We have technicians conveniently located in the greater Portland, Salem, Willamette Valley and Medford area to provide all your cooling service and design needs. 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