Madrid-based reporter Aritz Parra and Barcelona-based photographer Emilio Morenatti, both chief correspondents for Spain, reacted quickly to a developing story, delivering a deep, all-formats look into the plight of migrant fruit harvesters facing a coronavirus outbreak while already struggling to find work in northern Spain.
AP was out first with multiformat coverage of the migrants as Spanish authorities announced that the spike in infection was forcing a lockdown in the area around Lleida, Spain’s first area under restrictions since the nationwide lockdown was lifted two weeks ago.
Migrants rest inside an exhibition center turned into makeshift shelter for seasonal workers in Lleida, Spain, July 2, 2020. A fruit harvest that fell short of expectations has left many migrants in the area without work amid the pandemic.
AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti
Migrants who are seeking seasonal work harvesting fruit, sleep on the ground in a square in Lleida, Spain, July 2, 2020.
AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti
Abu Salem, 30, from Senegal, rests on a park bench in Fraga, Huesca, Spain, July 2, 2020.
AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti
Bulgarian migrants harvest flat nectarines, most of them destined for the German market, in Fraga, Spain, Thursday, July 2, 2020. With a harvest that fell short of expectations, migrants are struggling to find work in the region amid the pandemic.
AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti