the coachella valley may be best known for its music festival, tennis tournament, and luxury resorts.he eastern part of the valley is a separate world. almost 50% of resints live below the poverty line. and winds here blow toxic dust from the decaying salton sea, california's largest lake. >> we have a large group of people that are living in conditns that you don't see in other parts of the country, mobile homes that are old, that are falling apart. >> sy: at a community event offering free flu vaccines we met conrado barzaga, c.e.o. of the desert healthcare district and foundation, which oversees healthcare services in the region. >> if you get caught with covid- 19, the closest hospital is probably one hour away for most people here. >> sy: covid has taken its toll on the low-wage workers, many who work in the area's vast date farms and make up the backbone of the valley's $600 million agricultural economy. across the country, coronavirus has infected more than 125,000 farmworkers, people who literally keep the country fed. farmwoers endure tough times even in good times. but durin

the coachella river valley and riverside county within the state have the highest numbers of transmission and deaths second only to l.a. county. there are people dying in my neighborhood. we understand through the science that masks work. states that have mandates that have encouraged people to wear masks have lower rates of transmission than other states that do not. we know through the science that the masks block the air droplets from exiting from exiting somebody's mouth especially somebody asymptomatic and could infect other people. the president-elect joe biden is going to have the science behind him to really encourage people to do what we know works to reduce the transmission. we are all in a position where we are covid fatigue. we want our workers to go back to work. we want to celebrate thanksgiving, and we want to celebrate it safely with our family. there is a right way to do that, and there's a wrong way to do that. at the way disregards the precaution that our scientists and doctors are telling us to take, which will only lead to more loss of life and will only hurt our econ