Madikeri: Coffee estate workers in Kodagu will soon get a respite against COVID-19, with officials planning to launch a vaccination campaign in plantations to make coffee lands safe from the pandemic.

BJP  MLA K.G. Bopaiah advised plantation owners not to utilise workers returning from COVID-19 Care Centres for work in the estates immediately. They should be kept in quarantine for at least a week before reappointment.

“The owners should follow the guidelines and ensure control of the infection. Prioritise saving life and health. Essential work in the estates can be done using locally available workers,” he said at a growers’ meeting in Madikeri on Friday

Associations of various coffee growers in Kodagu have pledged support to the District Administration to make Kodagu COVID-19 free, even as the lockdown in the coffee land is extended till June 21 based on its positivity rate. The producers have resolved not to bring workers from other places for work in the estates of Kodagu till June 21. It was decided to use locally available workers.

Bopaiah, who presided over the meeting, said that COVID is coming under control in Kodagu. However, infection has been reported in workers coming here for work. “Property owners should avoid bringing workers from elsewhere for the time being. This measure can help us fight the pandemic,” he observed and warned of confiscation of vehicles carrying workers from other places.

The growers urged the MLA to take a delegation to New Delhi after lockdown ends, to highlight the plight of coffee growers and the difficulties being faced.