Testing of an unknown number of watermelon harvesters in three north Florida counties revealed that three out of four were positive for COVID-19, Florida health officials told industry leaders.
The development comes just a few weeks before the end of the Florida watermelon season, said Bob Morrissey, executive director of the Lakeland, Fla., National Watermelon Association, and the group alerted members about the report of the positive tests for COVID-19 in Levy, Gilchrist and Gadsden counties.
Morrissey said he and other produce leaders in the state had a call with the Florida’s Director of Emergency Management Jared Moskowitz on June 11, after initially hearing about the positive test results a day earlier.
The National Watermelon Association issued a member alert June 11, advising growers to redouble efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The association has been communicating with members since March on the need for growers to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 on the farm.
“As far as we know, the vast majority of our (growers) are doing what they need to do to get people to wear masks and social distancing as much as they can,” Morrissey said.
But when workers are off the clock, it isn’t always possible to control risks of the disease spreading he said.
Morrissey said he wasn’t sure if the workers tested are seasonal migrant workers or hired through the H-2A guest agricultural worker program.
If needed, Moskowitz offered the industry resources to help combat the spread of COVID-19, Morrissey said, such as personal protective equipment, sanitizer and virus tests.
The north Florida counties also tested workers in construction and hospitality sectors, but Morrissey had no information on the infection rates in those industries.
There also was no information about the percentage of workers who showed symptoms.
Even though 95% of Florida’s watermelon business will be done by the end of June, the association was sending out a member alert to its nationwide database to make them aware of the issue. Morrissey said the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Florida Farm Bureau were also alerting members.
Media coverage is expected to escalate, he said.
Because agriculture is classified as an essential industry, health officials are not likely to shut down watermelon operations because of positive COVID-19 cases, Morrissey said.
Even so, the industry must do all it can to stop the spread of the virus, he said.
“This is not just the responsibility of the farmer that’s down the street, and you don’t have to do it. Everybody needs to do this,” he said.
In their member alert, the association asked every grower, packer and labor contractor to:
- Require all workers and employees to wear masks, excepting for American Disability Act restrictions;
- Enforce social distancing practices on the farm, in the sheds and in H-2A housing to the extent possible;
- Require workers and employees to regularly wash hands and use sanitizers;
- Limit ridership on buses to allow for some social distancing, and keep teams of workers together;
- Sanitize buses and living spaces (H-2A housing) regularly;
- Screen workers daily before work begins (temperature checks);
- Ask workers to help …… If they see symptoms in others, say something; and
- Separate workers that test positive from other workers.
The Packer’s Watermelon Coverage
