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NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets
Since New York began rolling out its vaccination efforts in December, the list of those eligible for the coveted shots has slowly expanded — to include seniors, restaurant staffers, taxi drivers and most recently, emergency food pantry workers.
But farmworkers have yet to be included in the state’s current vaccine plan, despite being prioritized under the federal government’s recommendations. A federal initiative to supply select community health centers with additional vaccine doses also specifically targets agricultural workers, and those clinics say they’re ready to start that work — as soon as they get approval from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
In this week’s episode of The Check In, Spanish-language reporter Daniel Parra discusses the frustration New York’s farmworkers feel about being treated like “third-class essential workers” and advocacy efforts to get them added to the current vaccination phase.
Read more on this issue:
- Farmworkers Left Out of NY’s Vaccination Plans, Despite Federal Priority
- Housing Worry for Laborers as New York’s Farms Slip Deeper into Trouble
- Undocumented, Essential and Sick: COVID-19 Comes to the Farm