2A | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
On The Record
Health authorities find no known transmission of COVID-19 through food, packaging
Given the recent plant
closures across the U.S.
and in Oregon, the Oregon
Health Authority (OHA)
and the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture (ODA)
want to assure Oregonians
there is no evidence that
human or animal food — or
food packaging — is associ-
ated with the transmission
of COVID-19.
Food products do not
need to be withdrawn or
recalled from the market if
someone on the farm or in
the processing plant tests
positive.
“The virus is thought to
spread mainly from person
to person, such as between
people who are in close
contact with one anoth-
er, or through respiratory
droplets produced when an
infect-ed person coughs or
sneezes,” said Paul Cieslak,
M.D., senior health adviser
for OHA’s COVID-19 re-
sponse. “A person can get
COVID-19 by touching
a surface that an infected
person has touched, which
is why it is so important to
get in the habit of washing
your hands often — includ-
ing before and after prepar-
ing meals — before eating
and after you come home if
you’ve been out.”
ODA and OHA, in part-
nership with the Centers for
Disease Control and Pro-
tection (CDC) and the U.S.
Food and Drug Adminis-
tration (FDA), are working
together offering guidance
to employers as they work
to ensure the health and
safety of their employees
and the food and agricul-
tural workforce that help
keep the food supply chain
strong.
Workers are the back-
bone of this critical infra-
structure.
“Our top priority is to
provide as much support
and guidance to our gro-
cery stores, food banks,
food processors and ag-
riculture industry as we
can to help protect their
workforce and the public,”
said ODA Director Alexis
Taylor. “Our food safety in-
spectors are still on the job
offering remote and in-per-
son inspections, doing their
best to keep the food supply
moving and helping pro-
vide the safest food possible
to all Oregonians.”
Grocery stores, food pro-
cessors and distributors
have been provided guid-
ance on how to protect their
workforce and consumers
from COVID-19. This in-
cludes the following CDC
and FDA recommenda-
tions:
• Enforce physical dis-
tancing in lines, separate
customers and employees
by six feet whenever possi-
ble.
• Implement visual cues,
such as tape on the floor
every six feet, to help cus-
tomers keep a six-foot dis-
tance from others whenever
possible.
• Install floor markings to
require customers to stand
behind, until it’s time to
complete the transaction.
• Consider limiting the
number of people in the
store at one time; imple-
ment a maximum capacity
and assign staff to manage
the number of people en-
tering.
• Consider setting special
hours for vulnerable popu-
lations, such as the elderly
or immuno-compromised.
Recommend allowing these
populations to enter the
store earliest in the day to
reduce chances of exposure
and ensure access to inven-
tory.
Guidance was also pro-
vided for sanitization and
employee protection to fur-
ther inhibit transmission
in manufacturing environ-
ments and grocery stores.
Some recommendations
include:
• Do not allow symptom-
atic (fever of 100.4° F or
greater, signs of a fever, or
other symptoms) or ill em-
ployees to report for duty.
• Regularly clean and dis-
infect surfaces to limit em-
ployee contact and increase
frequency of cleaning and
sanitizing of common
touch points (door handles,
touchscreens, keypads).
• Consider altering store
hours to allow for increased
cleaning and re-stocking
without customers present.
• Cross-train employees
and rotate staff between
cashier, stocking and other
duties, to limit mental fa-
tigue in adhering to social
distancing measures.
• Consider installing
sneeze guards at cashier sta-
tions.
• Schedule handwashing
breaks every 30-60 min-
utes. Employees should
wash hands with soap and
water for at least 20 sec-
onds. If soap and water are
not available and hands are
not visibly dirty, an alco-
hol-based hand sanitizer
that contains 60-95 percent
alcohol may be used. How-
ever, if hands are visibly
dirty, always wash hands
with soap and water.
• Assign a relief person to
step in for cashiers so they
can wash their hands with
soap for a full 20 seconds.
Provide hand lotion so
workers’ hands don’t crack.
• Consider providing
hand sanitizer at cash reg-
isters for staff and customer
use in between transactions.
• Consider only oper-
ating every other register
or check-out lane to create
more social distance.
Additional guidance on
“What to do if you have a
COVID-19 Confirmed Pos-
itive or Exposed Workers
in Your Food Production,
Storage, or Distribution
Operations” is available
from the FDA and post-
ed on its website at www.
fda.gov/food/food-safe-
ty
-during-emergencies/
what-do-if-you-have-
covid-19-confirmed-pos-
itive-or-exposed-work-
ers-your-food-production
-storage-or.
¡FELIZ!
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TheSiuslawNews.com
In alignment with the efforts of our City, fi rst responders and the respectful caution being
shown by those of us who call Florence home, we have decided to start our season as an on-
line order/pre-pay /pick up Market only. There will be no on-site cash sales.
All Your Favorite Vendors Will Be Back Again:
Green Valley Farm organically grown local produce, Fog Hollow Farm eggs and poultry,
Fair Valley Farm pastured meats, L’Etoile Farm certifi ed organic produce & berries, Marcy’s
Sourdough & Sweet breads, brownies & more ~organically sourced ingredients, Rain Forest
Mushrooms certifi ed organic mushrooms, Vine to Table Hand Pies sweet and savory
from locally sourced ingredients, Kickin’ Pickles sweet, dill and so much more, all
with a kick, Aronia Bijou Bloom Shrubs and Scones handcrafted& locally sourced
ingredients
Starting May 5 shop and pay online
Tuesdays between 4 & 6pm drive through and pick up
Please see our website for the latest information and link to online shopping
fl orencefarmersmarket.org
SNAP customers welcome! May 12/4-6pm stop by the
Market Manager booth or go to the Market website.