As businesses in Fresno County begin to re-open amid a continuing rise in COVID-19 cases, one community organization is asking county health officials to ensure the safety of indigenous speaking essential workers.
Centro Binacional para el Desarollo Indígena Oaxaqueñoworks with indigenous people from Mexico. Co-Executive Director Orelia Maceda Mendes said county health officials need to provide Mixteco, Zapoteco, and Triqui speakers with information in their languages.
“The difficulty they are facing is lack of information regarding ‘what is the coronavirus,’” said Maceda Mendes. “What are the recommendations that they should receive? And what guidelines should they follow?”
Maceda Mendes said based on the last census, there are about 5,000 indigenous people from Mexico living in Fresno County. Many of them work picking fruits, vegetables and other crops.
“The city of Fresno and the state have allowed for business to re-open but they’re making sure they follow guidelines that will help the workers and public reduce the spread of the coronavirus,” said Maceda Mendes. “In the fields that is not happening.”
That’s why the center is also asking county officials to keep farmers accountable in enforcing and providing masks and social distancing protocols for the safety of their workers.
