Only Eight U.S. States Have Virus Rules for Farms as Cases Rise

Only eight U.S. states have imposed mandatory protections specifically for farmworkers from coronavirus amid a series of agricultural outbreaks across the country and a national rise in new infections, according to a survey of state regulations by an advocacy group.

A little more than a dozen states have safety recommendations, but they aren’t enforceable, while the rest of the country hasn’t issued any protocols, according to the Environmental Working Group, which released its findings on Tuesday.

Workers stand behind plastic screens while harvesting lettuce on a farm in Greenfield, California, on April 27.

The federal government hasn’t created any national Covid-19 safety rules for farms, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Occupational Safety ...