To offer a safe shopping experience, Hunterdon Land Trust has created a list of market safety protocols during the Covid-19 outbreak. We ask you to review these protocols before visiting us. Copies will be distributed at Sunday’s market.
Updated May 13, 2020.
Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market COVID-19 Operations Protocol
Hunterdon Land Trust operates a Farmers’ Market on the historic Dvoor Farm, providing a place where local farmers and vendors can sell their products directly to consumers. The market serves as a community gathering place and benefits the local economy.
In order to support our local producers, Hunterdon Land Trust has decided to continue the operation of its Farmers’ Market until further notice. As directed in Executive Order 107, farmers markets have been designated as essential businesses and are permitted to operate despite the order’s ban on social gatherings and the mandatory closure of non-essential businesses. Also, Executive Order 108 protects NJ farmers markets from closure due to municipal or county orders, which invalidates any local or county restriction that conflicts with Executive Order 107.
To adequately protect our vendors, staff, volunteers, and customers, the Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market has decided to adopt the following protocol:
Physical Limitations & Mandatory Social Distancing
HLT’s market will operate on our open grounds to allow for maximum distance between all parties; vendor booths will be spaced at least six feet apart.
Incoming and outgoing vehicle traffic will be monitored to alert market staff to moments of major customer influx.
Incoming and outgoing foot traffic will be monitored; no more than fifty customers will be allowed within the market grounds at once.
Rope barriers will be in place to ensure all incoming and outgoing traffic uses the designated entrance and exit.
Customer traffic will be monitored to ensure the maintenance of six-foot distancing from vendors and other customers while waiting to make a purchase; distancing for customer queue will be noticeably marked on the grass.
Customers who belong to senior citizen and/or vulnerable populations will be permitted to enter the market grounds first and before the admittance of other customers at the start of the market. This period of protected shopping will last from 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of customers belonging to these vulnerable populations.
Customers who are finished shopping will be asked to exit the market grounds, and vendors are encouraged to process transactions quickly and without excessive socialization.
All seating will be removed from market grounds.
Modifications to Vendor-Customer Interactions
Customers will not touch any products during their shopping experience; vendors will do all of the picking and bagging for customers.All customers and vendors are encouraged to utilize mobile payment services if possible (Venmo, PayPal, etc..), as well as credit, debit, or check tenders to reduce the handling of cash.
When possible, vendors are asked to round up or down to the nearest dollar amount to reduce the handling of change.
All Vendors and Customers will be required to wear facial coverings pursuant to NJ Executive Order 122. The facial covering should be a mask, but those who are unable to secure a mask will be permitted to adorn an alternative facial covering, such as a bandana, handkerchief, etc..
Vendors will be required to wear gloves during all transactions and are expected to frequently wash and/or sanitize hands throughout the market.
Vendors will be asked to pre-package any and all products into uniform containers (bags, boxes, pin and quart containers, clamshells, etc.…).
Vendors are encouraged to utilize pre-orders and market pick-up options to facilitate quick transactions.
All product samples are forbidden until further notice.
Signage, Awareness & Customer Engagement
Customers will be asked to read and acknowledge updated market protocols at the entrance before entering the market grounds.
CDC signage will be laminated and placed throughout the market grounds to remind customers of appropriate precautionary behavior.
Signage will be present in close proximity to vendors to remind customers to maintain distancing between themselves, vendors and fellow shoppers.
Customers who have placed pre-orders with absent vendors will be able to pick up their items at the HLT tent, located near the entrance to the market grounds.
Market staff and volunteers will be wearing distinct attire to allow for easy customer and vendor recognition; all staff and volunteers will always be equipped with hand sanitizer to offer to customers and vendors.
Sanitation Protocol
Customers will be offered gloves and hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the market grounds.
Vendors will be provided with sanitizing spray and sanitizing wipes to clean their market supplies before, during and after market.
Hand sanitizer will be made available to all parties throughout the market.
All trash and recycling will be handled by market staff only at the end of the market.
Hunterdon Land Trust indoor facilities will only be offered to vendors and will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized by market staff before, during and after market.
To our knowledge, HLT is taking every precaution that is possible and practical for our market, based on the characteristics of our market grounds, vendors and community. With constant attention to these protocols and sufficient staff and volunteers to enforce them, we hope to enable local producers to maintain their business operations while protecting all parties involved to the best of our ability.