COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS SAFETY AT MAMSFM;
MOUNT AIRY MAIN STREET FARMERS' MARKET TO OPEN JUNE 3


​Farmers Market Health and Safety for Vendors, Shoppers, and Staff:
As of April 28, 2020: Per the INTERPRETIVE GUIDANCE [Number: COVID19-04] provided by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, under The Food and Agriculture Sector, Farmers' Markets are considered essential, they are a critical part of the local Food Supply chain.   Additionally, the US Department of Homeland Security provides a list of exempt, essential industries, which include food and agriculture. Farmers markets are included in this list, as essential retail outlets for food purchase. We cannot express enough our gratitude to our local, state and federal officials in recognizing that farmers markets are an essential food resource for our communities. Now more than ever, we see the importance of our local food systems through the work our farmers are doing to keep us nourished and healthy.  

Reliable access to food is a human right and it is critical that our food supply chain maintain – and even be prepared to expand  – operations throughout this pandemic.

We believe that the Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market  is an essential food resource, and plays an integral part in our local food system and economy.  Many of the precautions recommended by the CDC to reduce transmission of the coronavirus COVID-19 are things our vendors are well versed in.  Safe food handling is an important practice required by all the Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market  vendors. Things like staying home when you’re sick, rigorous hand washing, proper cough covering, etc. are all things our expert vendors have practiced until they are second nature. All the Market vendors are required to abide by all food safety laws and regulations. Our vendors are taking extreme food safety precautions, and MAMSFM has increased sanitation stations at the market.  To view Maryland Department of Agriculture's Recommended Best Practices as it relates to Farmers' Markets, please see the documents referenced below. ​
Pre-Ordering: The Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market offers the public the ability to preorder weekly select packages offered by our farmers and producers who will have a wide variety of farm-fresh, locally grown & produced, value-added and prepared food products including fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy products, cheeses, eggs, honey, baked goods, plants, herbs, flowers, and more! Some options for buying directly from the farmers and producers at the market while keeping a safe and healthy social distance will be allowed as the  market will remain open to the public, in a regulated fashion (please see guidelines below), but we also understand individuals may not feel comfortable attending. Curbside Pickup is available during our Wednesday market for pre-orders!

​To view our vendors who are offering CSA and Pre-ordering Options, are offering pre-orders please click on the below button.​ 
​This resource will continue to develop as more vendors create new online systems and payment options. Orders and payments will need to take place before Tuesdays at NOON with the vendors (some vendors may have earlier deadlines in place). They will then provide market staff with the information needed for pickup, and we will deliver it to cars at the at the Curbside Pickup area or to the  Order Pick-up Table.
SNAP customers may pay at the designated pick-up location/time with the designated market vendor, all other payments must be coordinated with the vendor. Customers with Senior FMNP or WIC FMNP will be able to use their vouchers with the market vendors. 

Contact the Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market at MtAiryMainStreetFarmersMarket@gmail.com

Many of our vendors are adapting how they get food to you and are creating different systems to do so! Please be patient as we try to help them get new systems put in place!

SENIOR/AT-RISK SHOPPING TIMES
We are dedicating the following times for Seniors and/or At-Risk individuals to shop at the market:
3:00-3:30PM
This dedicated time is for:
  • Ages 60 and older
  • Expectant mothers
  • Anyone with an underlying health condition(s) that makes him/her more susceptible to serious illness.
We ask our customers that do not fall into the above categories to respect this 30 minute window reserved for these at-risk customers, and limit their shopping to the remaining time, 3:30-7:00 with prescheduled pickups as defined by the vendors.

Customer Safety Guidelines
In addition to vendors following increased food safety guidelines we are taking the additional steps to ensure a safe environment at the market:
  • Effective immediately, vendor sampling is banned, until further notice.
  • Effective immediately, no foods or drink will be allowed to be prepared on-site and sold. Vendors are still allowed to sell prepackaged food items, though we are encouraging customers to not linger and eat on-site.
  • Additionally, we encourage you to  use the pickup stations at the market for our local restaurants and merchants.  Many support our market, and/or are regular supporters of our vendors.  Please support them when you can; by purchasing food from our local restaurants that utilize local products, you’re supporting your local farmers!
  • All prepared foods must be pre-packaged, before bringing to market.
  • All non-essential activities have been canceled until further notice.  This includes our kids activities, live music, and gardening workshops.
  • The drinking water station will not be available.
  • Public seating areas will not be available.
  • Vendors are spaced every other booth (approximately 12 feet apart).
  • We are limiting the number of customers into the market to 10 at one time, in accordance with Governor Hogan’s Stay At Home Order.  Please be prepared to briefly wait in line to enter the market.

We encourage our customers to take these simple steps to help keep your family safe:
  • Farmers markets are all about interacting and visiting with your community,  but first and foremost we are a food resource. To that end, please limit your human interactions to a wave.
  • Please try to make your visit as short as possible, to allow for more customers to come into the market, and keep the human contact low.  To put it bluntly, get in and get out.
  • If you have not preordered, put together a shopping list to shorten your visit at the Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market.
  • Please only send ONE person to shop.  
  • Please limit the number of customers in a booth to one at a time.  Please keep at least 6+ feet from the customer in front of you.
  • Please practice socially spacing by keeping a distance of 6+ feet from other customers and vendors.
  • While we have been deemed an essential service by the Town, County, and State, we are monitoring crowds.  At some times, we may be asking people to wait to enter the market.
  • All customers will now be required to enter through the south entrance and exit through the east entrance.  If you are handicap, we will make exceptions.
  • Please shop with your eyes, not your hands. 
  • Do not pick up and touch items.  Vendors will pick up and bag items for you.
  • Wash all produce thoroughly before using it.
  • Wash your reusable produce bags between MAMSFM visits. If you bring plastic bags to MAMSFM for your products, wash the bags and allow them to completely dry before using them again.
  • At this time, we are not accepting used containers (glass jars, egg cartons, produce cartons, etc.).
  • We are encouraging vendors to use contactless credit card options.  Many vendors are still in the process of getting systems set up. Set up Apple Pay, Venmo, etc. on your mobile device before attending to help expedite the transaction with vendors.
  • Upon entering the market, wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds upon and be thorough – soaping up the palms of your hands, the backs of your hands, your wrists, and between your fingers at the Hand-Washing Station. Hand sanitizers will be available throughout the market. 
  • If you are sick, please stay home and ask a friend or family member to pick things up for you at market instead.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • If you need to sneeze or cough, sneeze or cough into a tissue or into the crease of your elbow.
  • We require all vendors and customers to wear masks, per the recommendation of the CDC. If you do not have a mask, we offer masks for a donation.
We are monitoring this and are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all shoppers. We encourage you to visit the CDC website for updated information and safety precaution tips at cdc.gov.

This page will be updated with information as this situation continues to develop. Thank you for your continued support and understanding!
-Alice Settle-Raskin, Market Master, Mount Airy Main Street Farmers' Market