The market, hosted by Heritage Village at Chestnut Square, was given permission from the city March 26 to continue operating during the shelter-in-place order issued earlier this week.
Starting April 2, in addition to Saturdays, the market will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays until further notice. The market will operate from 8 a.m.-noon on these days at 315 S. Chestnut St., McKinney.
A small variety of vendors will be available each market day and offer produce from local farms and ranches.
“We are pleased to be able to offer essential food items, fresh from the farm or local kitchen, with very short distribution time and where only one or two hands have touched the product,” said Brian Medina, chairman of the Heritage Guild board of directors, in a Chestnut Square news release. “Providing fresh, healthy foods is part of the solution, and local farmers and food producers play a crucial role.”
To provide additional safety measuring during this time, booths will be placed at least 12 feet apart, and there will be no sampling. In addition, there will only be one entrance into the market, at which a six-foot sign will in place.
Instead of being self-service as usual, vendors will be placing customers’ items into a bag or box to reduce the number of hands touching the products.
Market staff and vendors will also be providing hand sanitizer and encouraging customers to sanitize and wash their hands frequently.
Vendors who are experiencing potential virus symptoms will not be able to attend the market, according to the release, and those in attendance will wash their hands, wear gloves, sanitize surfaces and use service items.
“Combined with the outdoor venue, with no carts or countertops, the farmers market is a very healthy alternative to the grocery store option,” Medina said in the release. “We appreciate the city of McKinney for recognizing that local food supplies are essential to our collective health ... as well as [for] giving our farmers and producers this opportunity to sustain their operations.”
For more information and updates on the market, visit its Facebook page here.
