Salisbury (United States) (AFP)
The coronavirus has hit Haitian workers in the American poultry industry with full force, a cheap but vital workforce for an industry that has become strategic in the United States where the authorities fear a shortage of meat.
"Every day, I pray to God that nothing will happen to me," Tina, an employee of the Perdue group poultry plant in Georgetown, Delaware, who lives in fear of the virus, told AFP.
"I would like to stay at home with my three children but I have no choice, the bills arrive from right and left," said the 27-year-old woman.
She is one of the very few to agree to speak out, refusing to give her full name for fear of reprisals because Perdue is one of the largest employers in the region.
The company refuses to give information on the positive cases detected, so "everyone is afraid, we work very close to each other and it may have been someone next to me, to whom I spoken, "says the young woman, who denounces too late and insufficient health precautions.
"They should close the factory a few weeks to disinfect it completely," she said, her face hidden under a surgical mask.
Coronavirus cases have recently exploded in factories on the Delmarva Peninsula, a region that stretches between southern Delaware, eastern Maryland and northeastern Virginia.
Haitians and Hispanics are the first victims of the virus. They make up the bulk of cheap labor in a sector crucial to the economy, while chicken meat is the most consumed in the United States.
- To convince -
The small town of Salisbury, historic seat of Perdue, is home to some 5,000 Haitians of which at least 40% are contaminated, according to the estimate of Habacuc Petion, founder of Radio Oasis, which broadcasts in Haitian Creole for the community estimated at 20,000 members in the Delmarva.
Many refuse confinement for fear of being dismissed. "Even if they have a fever, they take a pill and go to work," said the 45-year-old association leader.
The Covid-19 "touched his heart" with the death of his 44-year-old cousin. Employed at the Perdue factory in the city, he was hospitalized in early April for respiratory failure. He died less than two weeks later.
The disease is also progressing because of fear of the hospital and the language barrier, doctors say.
"Seeing the images of New York and the mass graves, people were afraid of not receiving adequate care in the hospital and of dying there," said Nadya Julien, a liberal nurse who treats many workers in her Laurel (Delaware) office.
A victim of Covid-19 herself and hospitalized for ten days in April, she now tells her story to her patients to convince them to overcome their fear.
Some of the patients, who speak Creole and very little English, also find it difficult to explain their symptoms. "Sometimes the message gets lost in the translation," says Dr. Julien.
- "Temptation" -
Dr Emanie Dorival alerted local authorities to the epidemic very early on after seeing positive cases accumulating in his doctor's office in Seaford, Delaware.
"We are in a rural area and we do not have sufficient hospital capacity if 200 cases suddenly appear," she said.
The poultry industry "is essential, it has to stay open because we all need to eat, but we have to keep workers and the community safe," she said.
Faced with the risk of a shortage and disrupted supplies, Donald Trump ordered the meat and poultry processing plants to continue operating despite the pandemic.
The Perdue group guarantees the safety of its employees: temperature measurement, protective equipment, social distancing in common areas and on production lines. Where this is not possible, dividers have been installed, Perdue said in a statement.
The group also raised wages, but for Habacuc Petion, "it is a temptation that many people cannot resist."
Local authorities are increasing the number of screening campaigns, primarily for employees in the sector. In Salisbury, more than 1,500 people took the test in the city stadium on Friday and Saturday. The results are expected this week.
© 2020 AFP