Salinas mayor asks county health to designate set amount of vaccines for farmworkers

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Salinas mayor, Kimbley Craig, sent a letter to the Monterey County Department of Public Health requesting for a designated amount of vaccines to be dedicated for farmworkers each week.

Craig says farmworkers are still a target for infection, as many of them are living in high-density housing. She adds that shifting vaccine allocation toward concentrated areas in the county would be more effective than an age-based tier system.

"While I recognize the amount of vaccines coming into the county is woefully inadequate, I do believe setting aside a designated amount will start the process of reducing cases among our farmworkers," she said. "It will also display leadership, as the formal request from the mayors in Monterey County have also asked you to prioritize farmworkers for both testing and vaccinations."

Craig also points to other calculated efforts the county must make to transition out of the state's most restrictive "purple" tier. She alludes to the fact that many businesses in the area are still struggling, as well as schools still being virtual only, causing difficulty for students and their families.

"Time is of the essence, as a large population of our city returns from Yuma in the next few weeks," she said. "I implore that you enable farmworkers to have access to vaccines---otherwise I fear another outbreak, and another round of skyrocketing cases."

Monterey County Supervisors say the agricultural industry was hit especially hard by the pandemic, and is a major reason why the county has never left the state's "purple" tier under the reopening guidelines.

For more information on the county's vaccine progress click here.