COVID 19 Incident Commander Comments on Farmer’s Market

Missoula County’s COVID 19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr used a portion of her daily You Tube update to address the issue of the Farmer’s Market, in which she wanted to clarify the county’s position on the popular spring event.

“There’s some misinformation circulating about Farmer’s Market,” said Farr. “People are saying that we here at the health department think that Farmer’s Markets are nonessential and they need to be closed. That’s not true. Farmer’s Markets are an important part of our community and the local economy. It’s not a matter of whether or not they’re essential, but rather it’s us trying to figure out how we can do Farmer’s Market in the era of COVID 19.”

Farr said the very nature of the Farmer’s Market works against it.

“The markets are big events that bring a lot of people together,” she said. “That’s the perfect way for COVID 19 to start spreading again in our community. To find balance on how to get local produce to people and provide COVID 19 protection, our department has been working with market masters, boards and local farmers to try and figure out some solutions.”

In addition, Farr spoke about the reopening of various restaurants and bars as of Monday, May 4.

“The governor’s reopening plan requires that these businesses limit capacity to just 50 percent, limit groups to no more than six people and provide at least six feet of space between customers, remove any bar seating, enhance social distancing and cleaning and sanitizing measures, as well as doing employee health screenings and they also have to close by 11:30 p.m.”

Farr Produces a You Tube video every day on the Missoula County website.