A major victory for farmworkers came on September 11, when Santa Barbara County Public Health issued an order requiring daily COVID screening of all residents at H-2A housing, self-isolation of those with symptoms, notification by the housing operator of any confirmed cases, and a $1,000 penalty for failure to comply. H-2A refers to the federal guest worker program under which many farmworkers in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties are brought to this country. On September 17, Ventura County passed an order with the same requirements.
As with other issues affecting farmworkers, CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) was actively engaged in getting these orders passed. Regular screening, according to Community Organizing Director Hazel Davalos, is critical to keep a positive case of one worker from developing into a full-blown outbreak.
The orders follow large COVID outbreaks in H-2A housing in each county. The first major one, in Ventura, was at Reiter Affiliated Cos.’s Villa Las Brisas in Oxnard, which led to the testing of all 200-plus residents, with 198 testing positive. According to Ventura County Public Health, there have also been outbreaks at Calavo Growers, Magana Labor Service, Fillmore Piru Citrus, and Prime Time International. A total of 468 farmworkers have tested positive in Ventura County.