Second migrant worker, 24, dies from COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex

Windsor Regional Hospital is reportingthe second death of a migrant worker in the Windsor-Essex region due to COVID-19.

The man was 24 years old and diedFriday, hospital officials said the next day, adding hehad first gone to Erie Shores HealthCare on June 1from a hotel where he had been self-isolating.

This is the second death of a migrant worker in the region. A 31-year-old man from Mexico who came to Ontario to work on a farmdied of the virus last week.

"The hospital sends its prayers to this young man, his family as well as that of the 31-year-old migrant worker who also passed away this week due to COVID-19," an update from the hospital read.

Officials say they have been in touch with the man's family in Mexico.

The issue of COVID-19 on Southwestern Ontario farms was highlighted earlier this week by Ontario Premier Doug Ford after 80 of the 400 new positive cases were among migrant workers atthose facilities.

The premier said he wascommitted to addressing the problem at that time.

Mass swabbing

The hospital also laid out a plan tobegin amass swabbing of migrant workerson Tuesday. Its goal is totest the approximately 8,000 migrant workers in the region.

The testing will take place over a 10-14 day period.

Workers are afraid, says advocate

Sonia Aviles, an organizer with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said shehas been in touch with hundreds of workers since COVID-19 began.

She added, right now, the workers she's hearing from areafraid.

"To [die] alone in this country away from their families and we're now seeing that workers' worst nightmare is coming to be true," said Aviles.

She also saidthe deaths of both workers werepreventable.

"This is part of the Canadian government, at all levels, failing to provide the protections to migrant farm workers," she said.

"We need the government to step in."

Her organization, she said, has been warning the government about the living and working conditions of migrant workers for years.

"Unfortunately, it has taken COVID to reveal what we've already known, what we've been hearing from workers for many years."