Farms, rural communities at risk for COVID-19
By Ron Smith, Farm Progress
The idea that farmers and rural communities are safe from the coronavirus pandemic because they are already relatively isolated is dead wrong.
Dr. Jeff Bender, professor and director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, dispels that assumption.
Bender, one of four speakers in a March 23 webinar, "What Ag Producers Need to Know About COVID-19," explained why farmers and other rural residents are at risk of contracting and spreading the disease.
"Many of our folks who work in rural environments feel safe because they already feel like they're isolated and thinking, 'this isn't going to come to me,'" Bender said.
But they may exhibit unique risk factors such as:
• Rural populations are older. The average age of farmers in the United States is about 58 years.
• Rural areas have limited access to healthcare. Many rural hospitals are closing.
• Rural residents and farmers have a feeling of invincibility, "They think, 'I'll be fine.'"
• Farms don't have redundancy in the workforce. "We have a limited workforce. So, if somebody gets sick, we have a limited number of folks who can pick up the workload and carry on. If we're not well, we're not available to do the work."