Covid-19 protocols prepared for picker influx

By ROY WOOD

As seasonal farm workers begin to arrive in the South Okanagan from other provinces, government and agriculture organizations are working to fight the potential threat of community spread of Covid-19.

BC Fruit Growers Association (BCFGA) manager Glen Lucas told ODN Wednesday that seasonal safety training officer the organization hires every year was brought on board two months early this year to facilitate the efforts.

Specific safety protocols are being developed for the “backpacker pickers,” mainly from Quebec, who move from farm to farm during the picking season, said Lucas. The emphasis will be on limiting the spread of Covid-19 among the workers, the farmers and the public. 

The provincial agriculture ministry says that all farms in BC must adhere to the same safety guidelines whether their workers are local, out-of-province or out-of-country. They include:

• Maintain physical distancing or use physical barriers such as plexiglass or face coverings;
• Provide employee training in a familiar language explaining safety measures and protocols; and
• Educate employees on measures to prevent infection and transmission.

As well, the ministry is working with the industry associations “to ensure contingency plans are in place should there be a COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be addressed on the farm,” for both domestic and foreign workers.

Loose Bay society director Allan Patton told ODN this week the society has been ordering supplies – Lysol, masks, gloves and sanitizers – to equip the camp to deal with pandemic dangers.

The camp, which can handle up to about 300 people, is the primary place to stay for the influx of pickers. Aside from lots of space for tents, Loose Bay provides showers, toilets and free firewood when there is no burning ban.

Patton said he has looked at various Covid-19 protocols and the one that seems to work best for Loose Bay is one designed for industrial camps. He said he and the two camp employees are currently building washing stations.

He added that Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson is helping with bilingual brochures for pickers outlining the rules and safety precautions dictated by the province.

Patton said the camp may open early if the on-site manager is prepared to do so.

Some early-arriving itinerant fruit pickers, mainly from Quebec, have raised concerns about the potential for increased community spread.

Larson said in a telephone interview that some of the pickers who have shown up well ahead of the usual schedule said that since the pandemic has closed their universities, they decided to come to the Okanagan early this year.

She said some of her constituents have expressed concern after seeing some workers congregating in a park, clearly not complying with common social distancing protocols. 

“I tell them you don’t have to hug them. Just keep your distance (and) follow (provincial health officer) Dr. (Bonnie) Henry’s orders,” she said.

The agriculture ministry announced a $50-million program earlier this week to provide the agriculture industry with $1,500 per foreign worker to help cover quarantine costs upon their arrival in Canada.

Workers from inside Canada are not required to quarantine and are not part of the program.  

The BCFGA’s Lucas said one bit of provincial help his organization would appreciate would be a program by which workers who develop Covid-19 symptoms, but are not sick enough to need hospitalization, be provided with hotel accommodation while they recuperate. 

The first crop for which large numbers of pickers are needed is cherries, which won’t be ready for harvest until June. Pickers from Quebec and elsewhere usually arrive in large numbers beginning in mid-May.

While Larson is clearly unhappy about the early arrivals, she acknowledged that the young Quebecois workers are a vital part of the local agricultural scene. “We need them and we welcome them,” she said.

At Tuesday’s Oliver council meeting, Water Councillor Rick Machial emphasized the importance of the pickers to the industry.

“These people from Quebec pick most of the fruit. (Without them) the fruit’s going to go bad,” he said. “The cherry crop won’t be harvested without them.”  

Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen said the town will likely be depending on bylaw enforcement officers and the RCMP to enforce provincial health regulations regarding Covid-19.