A 'perfect storm' in Yakima County puts residents on edge

Across Washington state more than 15,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19.

The place with the highest rate of infection is Yakima County, in part because a majority of workers there are considered essential.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

To learn more, I spoke with Enrique Pérez de la Rosa. He reports from Yakima for Northwest Public Broadcasting.

Enrique: There's a few things going on here that kind of set up a perfect storm for Yakima. First, there's long term care facilities. At least 250 of Yakima’s cases come from residents and workers there. Obviously, that's a very vulnerable population.

The health district dedicated a lot of resources like test kits to long term care facilities. Because of that, they found a lot more cases there. That's not unique to Yakima, but what is unique to Yakima County is that it's both rural but also very dense in our region. People are working in agriculture, and then congregating in the city to buy groceries.

With a lot of people working in agriculture and in food processing, that means a lot of people have more opportunities to be exposed to Covid-19. On top of that, industries that support agriculture are also still at work.

I spoke with Dr. Teresa Everson, the health officer at Yakima Health District. She said: “We know that 63% of those working in Yakima County are considered to be essential workforce. That's a pretty high proportion of our workforce that still needs to get out and get in their cars and be out and about for work purposes.”

I understand that one of Yakima’s hospitals recently closed down. How has that impacted the situation?

Enrique: Back in January, Astria Health declared bankruptcy. That meant that we lost about half of our hospital bed capacity at a very, very bad moment.

Naturally, health officials were very worried that Yakima would be overwhelmed by Covid-19. State and federal agencies responded to requests by the Yakima Health District to direct resources to Yakima. They even considered reopening the bankrupt hospital. They even set up a drive thru testing facility that was administered by the National Guard.

So, Yakima County does have the highest case count per capita in Washington, but the county also is second in testing per capita, according to Dr. Everson.

How is this all playing out in the agriculture industry?

Enrique: Agriculture is the driving force as to why people are still out and about in Yakima County, but parts of the agriculture industry are also places where people congregate, namely in processing and packaging facilities.

These are very large employers with hundreds of people working within a facility. Normally, that means working in pretty close proximity to people within a production line. And work can't stop, because we need our food supply to remain in place.

Employers are following guidelines set by the Department of Labor and Industries, and by the Yakima Health District. They’re setting up plastic dividers between workers and making sure workers wear masks and gloves. Some have even installed infrared thermometers to check temperatures before workers clock in.

Some labor advocates say that isn't enough. The United Farm Workers and the local labor advocate Familias Unidas por la Justicia have sued the state, asking them to issue stricter rules that are enforceable. They also say guidelines have not come soon enough.

Already 38 workers tested positive in a Washington beef plant in Toppenish. In Walla Walla County, another 250 workers tested positive in a Tyson plant. And it's back to work today, actually.

For their part, the Yakima Health District has assembled a team of experts to visit these employers to offer more specific guidance and to prevent spread in their facilities.

As the state of Washington starts this phased reopening of the economy and daily activities, how would you characterize the general outlook in Yakima? Are you seeing mounting pressure to reopen, or do people prefer to stay on lockdown given the situation there?

Enrique: There's definitely pressure from some very vocal groups who are angry with the governor for what they see, essentially, as a tyrannical emergency order that takes away their personal liberties.

For example, just last week, about 300 people gathered in front of the county courthouse to protest the order after the governor extended it through May 31. But, people are also hurting with businesses, so there's a lot of sympathy for movements like that.

On the other hand, the closure of the Astria hospital earlier this year really put everyone on edge across political lines. I think a lot of people see how delicate our healthcare system is here. I think it’s safe to say there's a lot of people that are anxious to get back to work.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.