Ocean Beach Farmers Market Closed Through End of March and All Others Also

Many farmers markets are being canceled through the end of March over concerns of community spread of COVID-19. The closures are part of the county’s decision to follow the state’s lead, banning all events of 250 people or more.

A San Diego Police Department email sent to farmers market organizers in the city stated:

With the County of San Diego Health and Human Services’ declaration today, large gatherings of 250 people or more are banned from taking place. This ban will take effect at midnight, March 12, and will be in place through the end of March. Accordingly, Special Event Permits for all Farmers Markets through the end of March will be canceled. We will provide updates as we receive them from the County.

Market closures include ones in City Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Leucadia, Poway, Solana Beach, Carlsbad Village, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach. …

In other parts of the county, there are still some markets that will remain open.

Vendors from the Vista Farmers Market on Saturdays responded to a survey saying they’d continue to participate, market manager Mark Wall said via email, so the market will remain open.

“Food available directly from farmers who grew it has been handled by fewer people than the estimated 17 people who have handled food through other outlets,” Wall said. “We presume each added person involved adds a layer of insecurity. In addition, we assume at this point that shopping outdoors is the best ventilated place to buy food.”

Customers are encouraged to wash their hands often and stay home if they’re sick. The aisles of the market will also be widened to allow for better social distancing between customers.

“The social distancing at a farmers market is greater than at a supermarket,” Wall said. “Our aisles are 15 feet wide, while those in a supermarket are minimum 32 inches wide or average 4 feet wide, this is 375 percent more distance.”

Some vendors are looking for alternative ways to sell their produce while the markets are closed this month.

Rodney Kawano Farms in Oceanside and Vista sells solely at 12 farmers markets in San Diego and Orange counties, Kim Kawano-Walters said.

“It basically means no income, so all us farmers are scrambling on how we’re going to move our produce,” she said.

The family-owned business, which has operated for three generations, is now selling CSA — community-supported agriculture — boxes of produce while markets are closed. San Diego Union-Tribune