Many families are looking for outdoor events and activities to
entertain themselves and get out of the house. A day spent at a smaller agritourism
operation this fall might be just what these families are looking for. As the
farm owner, it is up to you to determine if your operation can continue safely
while following state guidelines and keeping patrons safe. The following are
some suggestions and resources on COVID-19 prevention best practices that you
can use to reduce risk and ensure your fall agritourism activities can proceed.
Staying Up-to-Date on State Guidelines
In Virginia, we are currently in
Phase III of the Virginia COVID-19 guidelines. These guidelines can be found at
https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Forward-Virginia-Phase-Three-Guidelines---8-21-2020.pdf.
These guidelines contain physical distancing best practices, enhanced cleaning
and disinfecting best practices, and more, for different types of business operations.
Your agritourism operation might fit into different categories, so carefully
read and follow the guidelines that best suit the activities in your operation.
Communication of Operation Practices
While it is imperative that you develop
COVID-19 guidelines for your operation, they must be clearly and effectively communicated
to your customers if risk is going to be reduced. Before customers arrive on
the farm you should share the steps you will take to protect their health. The
use of websites, social media, newspaper ads, tv or radio ads, and signage are
all effective ways you can share your policies with the public.
Request that customers not come to
the farm if they are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 or other contagious
illnesses. Ask customers showing symptoms to leave. Communicate verbally and by
signage that customers should wear a face covering that covers their nose and
mouth.
Reducing Congregating
One of the best things you can do to
reduce risk of spreading COVID-19 is to establish policies and practices that
maintain appropriate distance between persons not living in the same household.
Families can be kept together, but you should provide clear signage and
communication of how to best distance people away from one another. Be clear
when folks arrive that families must keep a minimum of six feet from other
families. In areas like pumpkin patches, this should be easy to do, but you
might need to reduce the allowed occupancy in the patch at one time (depending
on the size) to have enough room for folks to spread out. Design a flow plan
for customers to enter and exit the venue. Additional practices might include separating
tables or benches, marking places to stand in line, or reducing crowding around
entrance areas, checkout lines, or areas around bathroom facilities. Consider
if you should cancel or restrict certain parts of your operation or event that
might make social distancing difficult (concerts, picnicking, etc.). Can you
offer appointments or scheduling for families in order to better manage the
number of people on your operation at a time and allow for sanitation between
groups (hay rides or corn mazes for example)? Should you restrict access to
certain parts of the farm?
Sanitation Stations
Promote frequent and thorough hand washing. Provide customers
a place to wash hands with soap and water, if possible. Portable handwashing stations
can either be purchased or made with minimal costs (see DIY Handwashing Station
link below). If soap and running water are not available, provide hand
sanitizers. Proper hand washing signage should be posted at wash stations, and
other resources are available online or by contacting Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Signage
Signs should be posted at the entrance to your operation
that clearly detail your COVID-19 procedures and management plan. Statements should
be posted that detail social distancing requirements, sanitation requirements,
screening procedures, flow plans, location of sanitation stations, and other
applicable information.
The website https://www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/
has information about the Phase Three guidelines, as well as printable posters on
requiring face coverings.
The website https://iowavalleyrcd.org/markets/covid19fmsigns/
contains lots of great colorful and downloadable posters that can be used on agritourism
operations, social media, as well as at farmers markets or fruit/vegetable
stands.
Customer Flow
Depending on what type of operation you have, it might be
helpful to develop a flow plan. This is where you design a foot-traffic pattern
for walking the field or other space in your venue to help distance people away
from each other.
Employee Training
Employees should be screened and monitored just as visitors
are. They also must be trained on your personal and farm safety protocols put
in place to minimize risks of COVID-19 transmission. Document the training,
including when it took place and what employees were trained on. Have employees
sign verifying completion of the training. Instruct employees that are not to
work if they are sick with COVID-19 or displaying symptoms. Employees should
wear face coverings, and are required to wear them if they are working in
dining services.
Recordkeeping
Just as with food safety, it is always a good idea to
document your procedures being taken to minimize risks. Document training and
cleaning and sanitation practices. Keeping adequate records will help ensure
others that you are adequately doing your part to reduce risks to all those
involved in your operation.
For assistance designing your COVID-19 management plan for
your agritourism operation, contact Virginia Cooperative Extension or view any
of the resources below.
Additional Resources and References:
- Best Management Practices for U-Pick Farms During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Virginia
- COVID-19 Response Plan Template for Fruit and Vegetable Farms
- DIY Handwashing Station
- VDACS COVID-19 Emergency Information Center
- Virginia Agritourism Phase III Updates (Recording)