Gravenhurst Community Market
Date completed: May 31st 2021
Contact Information:
Gravenhurst Community Market
1001 Theatre Rd, Gravenhurst, ON
COMMUNICATION TO STAFF, VENDORS, AND VISITORS:
The Gravenhurst community Market willremain in contact with vendors and customers throughout the season to ensure asafe environment for all. A pre-season communication including the Marketsafety plan will be issued so that all the volunteers and vendors are familiarwith the safety measures and requirements. Continued communication throughoutthe season, along with website updates, will be used for ensuring the most upto date requirements and procedures are known.
Vendors and staff are required to visit the Provincial website forcurrent protocol and safety measures: https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-coronavirus-and-workplace-health-and-safety.
The Market safety plan will be available in print and via a link onthe Market website. Onsite signage, website & social media updates, andverbal communication on arrival and throughout the Market will be used toensure all customers and Market visitors know and understand the protocols inplace for the safety of visitors, staff, and vendors. The Market Safety PlanSummary will be posted publicly at the Market entrances to make the publicaware of the steps we are taking to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. TheMarket website will remain up to date with the Market safety plan and anychanges as they are implemented.
SCREENING:
The Market Coordinator willmaintain a logbook of vendor attendance for each Market day for the purpose ofcontact tracing as required. Staff and Vendors will be required to complete theProvincial self-screening assessment prior to coming to Market Sunday Mornings.The assessment can be found at the end of this document, or online at:
www.covid-19.ontario.ca/screening/worker/
Any Staff or Vendors who answer ‘YES’ to any of the screeningquestions will be asked to stay home and will not be permitted to enter theMarket. If symptoms develop at Market or exposure takes place, the ExposureAction Plan on page 5 will be implemented. Visitors to the Market will berequired to ‘check-in’ at the Market entrances. Customers will be reminded towear a mask and maintain physical distance from others while shopping.Customers will be advised to make purchases quickly and without surface contactwherever possible. Customers will be advised not to consume food within theMarket area. Any customers who are not in compliance of the Market safetyparameters will be asked to leave the Market.
CONTROLLING THE RISK OF COVID-19 TRANSMISSION:
The Gravenhurst Community Market will follow the guidance ofGovernment and Public Health directives to maintain the safe operation of theMarket throughout the season. The Market Safety Plan will be updated asrequired throughout the season and communicated to staff, vendors and visitors.In-person considerations for controlling the risk of transmission of Covid-19include:
MASKS
All Staff, Vendors, andCustomers (except with a medical exemption) are required to always wear a maskwithin the market. Anyone who does not have a mask, will be provided one byMarket Staff upon entry.
SIGNAGE
Signage will be placed at theentrances and throughout the Market outlining safety requirements, including:
• COVID-19 Safety Summary
• ‘Masks Required’
• ‘Keep PhysicalDistance of 2m or 6ft’
• Signs on handsanitizing at each sanitization station
• Staff will walkthroughout the Market to ensure they are always visible to customers andvendors.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING:
Vendor Tents will be spaced a minimum of six feet from each other toensure physical distancing and prevent the risk of transmission betweenvendors.
Vendors will always wear PPE toensure safety while in proximity to their staff or customers.
Vendor stalls will be requiredto be set up with tables between themselves and customers and to offercontactless shopping.
Vendors are encouraged to utilize plexiglass shields around theirstall and product wherever possible. Staff will be trained and reminded tomaintain at least six feet distance from vendors, customers, and other staff atthe Market.
Staff will encourage customersand vendors to keep physical distancing in mind throughout the day. Customerswill be reminded upon entry to safely distance while at the Market. Customerswho do not abide by COVID safety rules will be asked to leave the Market.
Entrance to the market will bemonitored and limited as required to allow for traffic to flow with adequatedistancing.
Customers will be encouraged tomove along in an orderly manner and will be discouraged from loitering orcongregating at Vendor Stalls. Customers will also be encouraged to have onlyone family member from each household attend the Market.
MARKET FLOW:
The Market will utilize separateentrance and exit locations which will be clearly marked with signage to ensurevisibility.
There will be one entry point, at the main parking lot. Entrance andexit points at each location will be separated by a Market tent and tables,with PPE available on both sides.
Where on-site food preparationoccurs, there will be additional space allocated to encourage physicaldistancing and Vendors will be responsible for ensuring their customers do notcongregate to wait for their order. This Vendor will be positioned away fromthe vendors to utilize a grab-and-go format for serving food.
SETUP AND TEAR-DOWN:
Vendors are required to performall setup and tear-down of their tent, table, and display without theassistance of other vendors, staff, or customers. In any instances whereassistance is needed, mandatory masks and physical distancing will be required.Goods for sale should only be handled by the vendor who has brought them tomarket. Staff will work on their own where possible. Where support is required,masks will be mandatory, distance will be maintained, and hand sanitizer willbe readily available.
HAND HYGIENE
Hand sanitizing stations will be set up at each entrance and visitorswill be encouraged to sanitize upon entry and at exit. Vendors will beresponsible for providing hand sanitizer for both their own use and customeruse at each stall. Vendors are to sanitize hands between transactions withcustomers, and after handling money or objects handled by customers. Staff willbe required to sanitize at regular intervals throughout their shift includingbefore and after any direct interaction with a vendor or customer.
SANITIZING SURFACES:
Vendors will be responsible for sanitizing all surfaces and touchpoints at their stall on a regular basis and in accordance with Provincialguidelines. All payment devices must be sanitized between customers. Vendorsare encouraged to sanitize their hands between each customer interaction.Market staff will sanitize the entrance tables and sanitization stations atregular intervals throughout the Market Day. All Market equipment will besanitized at the end of the day during tear down, so it is ready for the nextweek.
PRODUCT HANDLING:
Vendor stalls areto be set up so that customers do not have direct contact with food items.Prepared food items must be packaged as much as possible prior to bringing themto the Market. Items that are not wrapped (such as produce) must be stored in amanner that protects them from contamination. Should a customer touch aproduct, either require that they purchase it or remove it from stock for theremainder of the Market. Customers must ask the vendors for the food items theywish to purchase; the vendors will then select the food items and place them ona table for customers to pick up. This method of shopping permits physicaldistancing between customers and vendors. Vendors are encouraged to initiateonline/telephone ordering, so that customer orders are ready for pickup at thetime of their Market visit. It is recommended that cash alternatives beconsidered for the season (contactless debit/credit, telephone order and prepayoptions). Should cash be accepted, it is recommended that cash received be keptseparate from cash dispensed for change. Cash received should be isolated fromtouch for 72 hours (about 3 days) and should not be recirculated into theMarket. Prices rounded to the nearest dollar require less change be madethroughout the day.
FOOD SAMPLING:
There will be no food samplingpermitted at the Market, unless regulations change, and the implementation ofsampling can be done safely. Should sampling become permitted, an amendment tothe Safety Plan will be distributed.
WASHROOMS:
Washrooms are on site as well as handwashing stations located there.
EXPOSURE/POTENTIAL CASE ACTION PLAN:
The Gravenhurst Community Market will closely monitor changingregulations and guidelines throughout the season to ensure procedures areconcurrent with provincial and municipal requirements. Should there be risk ofexposure or a potential case identified at Market, procedures to isolate andensure appropriate follow-up will be implemented. Any staff or vendorsexperiencing an onset of symptoms during the market day are required to reportsuch symptoms to the Farmers’ Market Coordinator and arrangements will be madeto have the individual leave the Market area as soon as possible. In thiscircumstance, individuals will need to follow self-assessment and testingprotocols as set by provincial and municipal Public Boards of Health. Any staffor vendor who presents with symptoms will be required to stay at home and notreturn to the Market until they have a negative test and/or no longer presentwith any symptoms after the required period of isolation. Any Vendors and Staffwho may have been in contact with the potential case will be informed. In theevent of a positive test for COVID-19, Public Health will be advised so thatthe necessary contact tracing can be performed.
PREVENTION:
The Gravenhurst Community Market management will ensure any changesrequired to Market procedures and operations will be communicated to staff andvendors quickly. Email communication will be used to ensure prompt and safedistribution of information when required. Farmers’ Market management willmaintain regular check-ins with vendors and staff on how they are coping withthe procedures in place and if they have any questions or concerns. Monitoringfor compliance throughout the season, at each Market Day, will ensure anyissues or concerns are dealt with in a timely fashion and that all staff andvendors have a comprehensive knowledge of what is required. Vendors and staffare welcome to provide input and suggestions to the Market Safety Plan at anytime by contacting the Market Manager. With collaboration, we will ensure asafe and successful Market season.
COVID-19 SAFETY SUMMARY SAFETY MEASURES IMPLEMENTED FOR 2021 SEASON:
• Self-assessment screening & in person pre-screening for allstaff and vendors each Market Day
• Customer screening upon entry
• Hand sanitization stations throughout Market
• Mask wearing mandatory forall staff, vendors, and customers
• Single direction traffic flow using directional signage and limitedentry and exit points
• Signage throughout Market to aid in all Covid-19 safety measures andrequirements
• Promotion and enforcement of physical distancing for all individualsin attendance
• No seating or kids play areas within the Market area
• Encouraging ‘one person per family’ shopping to limit capacity.
VENDOR REQUIREMENTS/RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Setup/teardown to be done independent of staff or other vendors.
• Always maintain physical distance.
• Sanitize touchpoints at stallregularly throughout Market Day.
• Ensure sanitization is available to customers at each stall.
• Vendors encouraged to offercontactless service and pre-packaged items wherever possible.
• E-commerce options encouraged for curbside pickup.
• No food sampling.
• Vendors encouraged to consider plexiglass barriers at stalls.
• Consider alternatives to cash. If cash is accepted, it isrecommended that cash received is kept separate from cash dispensed so that itis not recirculated into the Market.
ACTION PLAN FOR POTENTIALEXPOSURE:
• Immediately isolate potential case and arrange for individual toleave the Market as soon as possible.
• Contact Public Health forfurther direction.
• Inform any staff or vendors who may have come into contact withpotential case.
• For positive test results, contact Public Health for contracttracing to be initiated
COVID-19 SCREENING CHECKLIST
1. Are you currentlyexperiencing any of these symptoms?
Choose any/all that are new, worsening, and not related to other knowncauses or conditions:
• Fever and/orchills Temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius/100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
• Cough or barkingcough (croup) Continuous, more than usual, making a whistling noise whenbreathing (not related to asthma, postinfectious reactive airways, COPD, orother known causes or conditions you already have)
• Shortness ofbreath Out of breath, unable to breathe deeply (not related to asthma or otherknown causes or conditions you already have)
• Sore throat Not related to seasonalallergies, acid reflux, or other known causes or conditions you already have
• Difficultyswallowing Painful swallowing (not related to other known causes or conditionsyou already have)
• Runny orstuffy/congested nose Not related to seasonal allergies, being outside in coldweather, or other known causes or conditions you already have
• Decrease or loss of taste or smell Notrelated to seasonal allergies, neurological disorders, or other known causes orconditions you already have
• Pink eye Conjunctivitis (not related toreoccurring styes or other known causes or conditions you already have)
• Headache Unusual,long-lasting (not related to tension, chronic migraines, or other known causesor conditions)
• Digestive issues like nausea/vomiting,diarrhea, stomach pain Not related to irritable bowel syndrome, menstrualcramps, or other known causes or conditions you already have
• Muscle achesUnusual, long-lasting (not related to a sudden injury, fibromyalgia, or otherknown causes or conditions)
• Extreme tirednessUnusual, fatigue, lack of energy (not related to depression, insomnia, thyroid,or other known causes or conditions)
• Falling often Forolder people
2. In the last 14 days, have you travelled outside of Canada? Yes / No
3. In the last 14 days, have you been identified as a “close contact”of someone who currently has COVID-19? Yes / No
4. Has a doctor, health careprovider, or public health unit told you that you should currently be isolating(staying at home)? Yes / No
5. In the last 14 days, have you received a COVID Alert exposurenotification on your cell phone? (If you already went for a test and got anegative result, select No) Yes / No