The emergency rules regarding housing for Michigan’s migrant agricultural workers is now extended to the end of the year.
These are the same rules that were implemented this spring that require licensed housing providers to develop and implement COVID-19 plans for workers.
MDARD Director Gary McDowell says this extension is the result of caution.
“It was because of the situation we’re in at this time,” he says. “Three months ago, we never thought about extending this order, but with the variants coming in [and] a large number of people in the state who are not vaccinated, we thought it would be the right thing to do to get through this whole year.
He isn’t ruling out the possibility of another extension into 2022 if the state’s COVID numbers aren’t lower.
“If people are getting vaccinated and they took it seriously, we wouldn’t be in this situation at this time,” says McDowell. “Last spring, numbers were going down drastically—people were getting the vaccination and doing the proper distancing and other means to stop the spread. Then the variants came along and vaccination rates pretty much stalled—this is the situation we’re in at this time.”
McDowell is encouraging every Michigander to get vaccinated to prevent further extensions.
“Do it for yourself, your family, your co-workers so you can go back to work, so your kids can go to school and feel safe,” he says. “To me, it’s common sense.”
