How COVID-19 Might Affect Your Guestworker Housing

By David Eddy|May 3, 2020

Agriculture businesses in Washington State that rely on guestworkers are paying close attention to proposed emergency rules that could place restrictions on housing occupancy.

According to an article by American Fruit Grower and Western Fruit Grower Editor David Eddy on GrowingProduce.com (a sister website to GreenhouseGrower.com), the Washington State Departments of Labor and Industries and of Health have proposed emergency rules relating to coronavirus preventive measures in temporary farmworker housing. Eddy’s article, based on an alert issued by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, says the proposed rules interpret the social distancing requirement to severely limit the use of bunk beds, decreasing potential occupancy of temporary worker housing by 30% to 50% in most cases.

The agencies had planned to enforce COVID-19 prevention measures (including social distancing) through existing hazard prevention requirements and to issue guidance documents to employers on how to meet these standards, according to the association. However, the state decided to issue emergency rules on those issues pertaining to housing after being sued last week by the United Farmworkers and Familias Unidas por la Justicia, who are being represented by Columbia Legal Services.

Read the full article here.