Volunteers hand out masks to virus-vulnerable migrant workers

LAKELAND, Fla. - A group by the name of “Called to Serve Farmworkers” is launching a new effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Volunteers are handing out masks and advising people to wear them when they go out.

On Tuesday, they were distributing masks, along with boxes of food, at a migrant camp in Mulberry. They have also distributed them in Fort Meade and Haines City.

Eventually, they hope to hand out at least 2,000.

Experts say it is especially important for agricultural workers to protect themselves because as a group they are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

“They’re close in the packing houses, close in the fields,” said Gisele Roy from Called to Serve Farmworkers. “Sometimes, there are multiple families living in one unit, so if one person comes back either asymptomatic or sick, it could spread very quickly.”