By Cecilia Nasmith
With certain conditions, the Cobourg Farmers Market may open as originally scheduled on May 2, according to a Notice of Motion put forward at council this week by Councillor Adam Bureau.
A number of conditions will apply, including a list of 10 safety precautions.
1 – All public-safety protocols given to Farmer's Market Ontario from the Association of Supervisors of Public Health Inspectors must be followed.
2 – All information pertaining to these protocols will be provided to all participating vendors.
3 – There will be a hand-sanitizing station, with signage informing people to maintain social distancing and proceed through the market in an indicated direction.
4 – All names of the vendors will be recorded, and updated records will be maintained.
5 – There will be no sampling of food.
6 – There will be no reusable or customer-supplied containers.
7 – There will be no communal tables or seating.
8 – Tents will be spaced apart, and customer circulation will be monitored.
9 – The only food offered for sale will comply with Ontario's Essential Work Place Order.
10 – Organizers will incorporate an on-line ordering system so customers can pre-order and have the option to pre-pay before arriving at the market for pick-up.
To accommodate the new regulations, the notice of motion concluded, the current location around the oval of the Waterfront Park fountain would not work. Bureau suggested a better location would be the parking lot directly east of the oval for as long as the pandemic continues.
The vote to put it on the floor at the April 20 committee-of-the-whole council meeting was opposed only by Councillor Aaron Burchat.
