National and Florida-based news outlets, social media urge officials in the Sunshine State to act now... Part One: Coronavirus media round-up… Norma Caldon, left, and Inocente Ordoñez, right, wash their hands before getting on a bus to work in Immokalee on Friday, April 3, 2020. The hand washing station, supplied by Lipman Family Farms, is one of many that have been placed throughout the community. (Photo: Alex Driehaus/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY – FLORIDA NETWORK) National and Florida-based news outlets, social media urge officials in the Sunshine State to act now “to minimize the catastrophic harm that the coronavirus could bring to the (farmworker) community…” CIW on CNN: “It is quite possible that in a matter of a couple weeks here in Florida we may not have enough people to harvest the state’s fruits and vegetables…” PLUS: Florida Public Health Association, Human Rights Watch, the Sierra Club, RFK Human Rights, and the United Church of Christ join over 180 organizations in calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to erect field hospital, provide critical health care for farmworkers… On April 6th, the CIW launched an emergency campaign for urgently-needed health protections for Southwest Florida’s farmworker community – and one week later, the response has been nothing short of astounding. Everyday consumers and some of the nation’s most well-respected advocacy organizations – from the Florida Public Health Association and the United Church of Christ to human rights legend Ethel Kennedy and Human Rights Watch – have added their voice to the campaign: Over 180 organizations have signed onto CIW’s open letter for a field hospital in Immokalee, and signatures on the Change.org petition have doubled to nearly 25,000 this week. The story of the farmworker community’s unique vulnerabilities – and their fight for necessary and urgently-needed protections and healthcare resources – has also echoed across the landscape of traditional media and social media, alike. Today, we’ve compiled highlights from the top news articles and tweets to share with you. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive right in! First up, CNN, one of the country’s largest news companies, reported on the dangerous living and working in conditions that millions of essential farmworkers are confronting while laboring to keep food on America’s tables during the COVID-19 pandemic. That harsh reality will not only have devastating consequences for farmworkers’ health and safety, but could also put the entire country’s supply of fresh fruits and vegetables at risk: The farmworkers putting food on America’s tables are facing their own coronavirus crisis By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN More than a million farmworkers aren’t hunkered down at home as the coronavirus pandemic paralyzes much of the country. Their labor — in fields, orchards and packing plants — is keeping food on America’s tables. But workers and groups who represent them are sounding an alarm. Their warning: As the virus spreads, many farmworkers are living and working in conditions that put their health particularly at risk. And if outbreaks hit farmworker communities hard, they say, that could put the nation’s food supply at risk, too... Read the full media round-up over on the CIW's website! Coalition of Immokalee Workers (239) 657 8311 | [email protected] | www.ciw-online.org Connect with us ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Coalition of Immokalee Workers | 110 S 2nd St, Immokalee, FL 34142 Unsubscribe [email protected] About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!