Farmworker Sinthia Hernandez has both cancer and diabetes, conditions that put her at a higher risk for complications if she were to contract COVID-19. But for her, staying home from work until the coronavirus pandemic passes is not an option.
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Through her job as a broccoli picker in California’s Salinas Valley, an area that supplies much of the country’s leafy greens, Hernandez provides for a household that includes her mother, her children and her two siblings — one of whom is blind and deaf, and another who is quadriplegic.
“In these times,†Hernandez says, “it’s necessity that makes us work despite the fear we have.â€
While millions of people in America have been sheltering in place, Hernandez is one of many members of the country’s largely immigrant agricultural workforce who have been maintaining the country’s food supply throughout the pandemic — and who speak out in a new FRONTLINE investigation about their experiences of having to choose between their health and their jobs.
“They are not giving us the essentials to protect ourselves,†Hernandez says in the above excerpt from the FRONTLINE documentary “COVID’s Hidden Toll.”
Watch “COVID’s Hidden Toll” starting July 21: https://to.pbs.org/39dJ0PX
From journalists Daffodil Altan and Andrés Cediel, “COVID’s Hidden Toll” is the latest installment in FRONTLINE’s award-winning body of work exposing the hidden realities facing low-wage immigrant workers in the U.S., many of whom are undocumented (Rape in the Fields, Rape on the Night Shift, Trafficked in America).
Through the stories of people including Hernandez, the investigation examines how so far, there are no national mandatory COVID protections specifically for agriculture workers – only voluntary guidelines; how companies don’t have to tell employees about outbreaks at their worksites; and the efforts to put in place more aggressive measures in California, where many of America’s fruits and vegetables are grown.
The film is supported by Chasing the Dream, a public media initiative from WNET in New York that examines poverty, justice and economic opportunity in America.
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FRONTLINE is streaming more than 200 documentaries online, for free, here: http://to.pbs.org/hxRvQP
Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation, the Park Foundation, The John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. Support for COVID’S Hidden Toll is provided by WNET’s Chasing the Dream initiative on poverty and opportunity in America, with funding by The JPB Foundation.
I send luv an positivity to da Mexican People✊ðŸ¿
If your scared of living here because you came here illegally then that's on you when they said farm workers are considered essential they meant American citizen workers but if course we already know commifornia needed them extra votes so they welcome illegal immigration if you think illegals deserve the same rights as citizens do then they should file their paperwork or if they can't hack it then they can simply surrender themselves and they can go back to their own country my family made no excuses when they came here from Mexico and they became legal citizens the LEGAL WAY
Honestly. What risk are they taking, outside, in a field, with masks on!? Im sorry a risk to covid is opening a night club not picking broccoli.
A woman God Bless the Women.
I salute to any1 that is & have to work during this b.s. china gave us!! While every1 is grabbing & begging 4 free cash these peepz don't even get a bonuses…
How about we change the Narrative, American farm greed/ won't pay American's a decent hours wage. No sympathy for the illegals who are here for the globalist agenda. America for Americans first.
Frontline has become a major political propaganda platform. They've been pumping out these Covid/bad Trump videos with increasing frequency. Shame.
The essentials according to whom? There not giving us the information we need to make an independent decision regarding the pandemic situation. Its frighteningly guarded information. We are not getting real data, real science, were getting politically charged "expert" coercion.
D.M.
THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD STOP THE CORONAVIRUS IN LOS ANGELES CA IS BUY SHUTTING DOWN THIS STREET FOOD VENDERS THEY ARE SELLING FOOD OUT IN THE OPEN THEY SPRED HEPATITIS & DISEASES & LOTS MORE BUT THE MAJOR OF LOS ANGELES CA TURNS A BLIND EYE EVERY DAY THERES HUNDREDS OF STREETS VENDERS ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES & SATURDAY & SUNDAY THERES DOBLE THE VENDERS YOU CANT EVEN WALK ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES BECAUSE OF ALL THE STREET VENDERS THEY EVEN USE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUNDS AS SWAPMEETS
HERE IN LOS ANGELES CA YOU SEE KIDS PLAYING IN THE PARK & ON THE STREETS EATING OUT IN THE OPEN WITH NO MASKS NOW THE MAJOR DOSENT DO ANYTHING TO STOP THIS THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES ARE ALWAYS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH OUT MASK EVEN THE FOOD VENDERS THE FOOD VENDERS HANDLE MONEY & SERVE YOUR FOOD BUT YET THE SAME KIDS RUNNING ALL OVER THE STREETS & EATING OUT IN THE OPEN CANT GO TO SCHOOL & CANT GO TO CHURCH BUT YOU WONT CORONAVIRUS IF YOUR IN A PROTEST OF BLM OR RIOTS OR LOOTING YOUR ARE IMMUNE TO CORONAVIRUS
HOW DO YOU EXPECT FOR THE CORONAVIRUS GO AWAY JUST GO TO LOS ANGELES CA YOU WILL SEE HUNDREDS OF ILLEGALS STREET VENDERS SELLING FOOD OUT IN THE OPEN YOU GET ANYTHING TO EAT HOTDOGS HAMBURGERS CORN GRILLED CHICKEN TACOS ICE CREAM YOU NAME IT
The situation can't be that badd to want to go back to their country. I'm just saying
Wow.. So tired of the whole thing.
If your and illegal immigrant it's not legal..to have this job
Why do we not have American citizens doing this job.?
America needs to grow its own fruit vegetables all our meat from organic ranches farms.
Each country should take care of themselves plenty of work will come from it.. They can rebuild heal.
When we all begin to get our countries healed… And only then we can start to have trade. Very strict.
Just to much using each other not being careful respecting each other having balance… Kindness sharing giving all can work to make the world a better place. 🇺🇸âœï¸ðŸ’🥰🕊ï¸ðŸ‘ðŸ»