Commissioner Nikki Fried Announces New Farmworker COVID-19 Testing Efforts

Clint Thompson Coronavirus, Florida

Tallahassee, Fla.Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced today new efforts to provide COVID-19 testing for farmworkers as the fall harvest season begins, in partnership with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), and local county governments.

fried
Nicole “Nikki” Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Beginning this week, farmworkers will have access to numerous no-cost COVID-19 testing events in some of Florida’s top agricultural counties. Support for these tests is provided in part by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and county governments. These testing services will continue as funding, demand and availability allow.

Commissioner Fried announced the testing partnership’s launch on a call today with Palm Beach County farmers and local officials. Earlier this year, Fried recommended to the Governor that farmworkers be provided with COVID-19 testing to help reduce the virus’ spread among workers and in the community.

“Florida’s farmworkers are essential workers critical to feeding 150 million Americans, but they’re also more susceptible to respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, and often lack health coverage,” said Commissioner Fried. “As the harvest season begins, having access to coronavirus testing will help keep farmworkers, their families, and their communities safe, with a potential next COVID-19 wave coming this fall. We thank UF/IFAS, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and county governments for their partnership to make this life-saving testing possible.”

What to Know: Testing will be free for employers, farmworkers, and their families. Testing sites will be open for walk-up services and appointments, and mobile testing for groups may be available in certain counties. Individuals will be required to wear face masks and provide a name, date of birth, and phone number. Results will generally be available in 36 hours, and will be shared with the individual tested or someone they designate.

Additional Testing: Additional testing dates for St. Lucie and Hendry Counties are forthcoming, with additional mobile testing sites available in St. Lucie, Hillsborough, and Miami-Dade counties in the coming weeks. Schedules for these services will be announced weekly, based on demand and availability.

Outreach Materials: A printable flyer for the testing program may be downloaded here in English, here in Spanish, and here in Creole. Additional county-specific flyers are available below. A Spanish-language radio PSA will air in the participating counties, and a Spanish-language video is available for social media.

Initial Participating Counties:

Miami-Dade County

Dates: October 6, 7, and 8

Times: 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Location: 18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031

Questions: 786-746-7887 or mdc.nomihealth.com/signup

Flyer: Available for download here

Hillsborough County

Dates: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

Times: 5:00 to 8:00 PM

Location: San Jose Mission, 13524 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Dover, FL 33527

Questions: 727-309-8682 or 813-300-3777

Flyer: Available for download here