B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has amended a previous order restricting the sale of non-food items at farmer’s markets.
Farmer’s markets, like grocery stores, were deemed an essential service when the COVID-19 first reached British Columbia.
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However, in an oral order issued on March 27, Dr. Henry prohibited the sale of any merchandise, artisan good, and all products that are not food or beverages at these markets. The order also banned farmer’s markets from providing places for people to sit and eat.
This order was repealed today during the daily COVID-19 briefing and vendors at farmer’s markets will once again be allowed to sell merchandise and offer seating options.
Like all other businesses that are slowly reopening under the province’s restart plan, there are still rules for markets to follow.
Vendors will not be allowed to provide food or beverage samples for tasting, and all food and drinks prepared at farmer’s markets must be sold in single-use, closed, containers.
Other rules that remain in place include spacing of two metres between consumers at line-ups and signage reminding people to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer.
All tables and seating arrangements must be spaced two metres apart from each other, and can only be up to six people seated per table.
