Covid Safety Guidelines

OAK's in-person events will be held in accordance with county, state and federal public health guidelines as well as our internal policies. We expect staff, volunteers and program participants to adhere to the following safety procedures and will update the information below as needed.

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Do not attend an in-person event if you (or anyone in your household) are displaying any of the following symptoms:

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• Fever (100.4F or higher)

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Diarrhea

• Chills

• Repeated shaking with chills

• Muscle pain

• Headache

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

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If you are registered and need to cancel due to displaying any of the above symptoms, refunds will be issued (if applicable). Contact us at info(at)oak(hyphen)ky(dot)org prior to the event.  

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To minimize risk at an in-person event:

• The CDC recommends masks for non-vaccinated individuals, even outdoors. 

• OAK highly encourages eligible individual to be fully vaccinated before attending an in-person event.

• If you are not fully vaccinated you will need to wear a face mask at all times during the event, inside and outside.

• All participants should use prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.

• Fully vaccinated individuals may remove their masks during socially distanced, outdoor OAK events.

• In communities with substantial or high transmission (orange or red) of SARSCoV-2, OAK recommends all participants wear a mask in public indoor settings, including fully vaccinated individuals. Track current incidence rate of spread in Kentucky by county here.

• When registering for in-person events you must agree to contact OAK immediately if you or anyone in your household shows symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 within two days of the event. 

For current recommendations on how to protect yourself and others please check out this Center for Disease Control information. 

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COVID-19 Resources 

resources by category:

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CSAs

• CSA COVID-19 Response/Resources – Crowd sourced information hosted by the CSA Innovation Network and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF). Request permission, viewers can add resources; includes annotated list of online sales platforms.

• CSA and Online Sales Resources - CAFF 

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FARMERS MARKETS

• Kentucky Department of Agriculture: "Suggestions for a Successful Start to Farmers' Market Season"

• Farmers Market Coalition Response to COVID-19 (best practices and daily updates)

• Farmers Market COVID-19 Best Practices - Community Farm Alliance

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE & BUSINESS RESOURCES

• U.S. Small Business Administration: Disaster Loan Assistance

• U.S. Small Business Administration: Coronavirus Relief Options: Paycheck Protection Program, EIDL Loan Advance, Express Bridge Loans, Debt Relief

• Farm Service Agency Loans - FSA is relaxing the loan-making process and adding flexibility for servicing direct and guaranteed loans, including extending deadline for applications, temporarily suspending loan accelerations and foreclosures, and considering temporary payment deferral and forbearance.

• CARES Act and funds for nonprofits

• Farmer Relief Fund – American Farmland Trust offers cash grants of $1,000 to farmers, ranchers, and/or producers 

• FACT Mini-Grants for livestock Farmers

• Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD): Coronavirus and the small business - what do you do?

• KCARD Q&A Managing Cash Flow During a Crisis

• Help for Kentuckians during COVID-19

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GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE​

• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Coronavirus

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security CISA Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response pg 6

• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services COVID-19

• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services COVID-19 Guidance by Topic

• Kentucky Department of Agriculture: COVID-19 resources

• Kentucky Department of Agriculture Letter from Commissioner Quarles

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

• Workplace: Center for Disease Control Guidance for Employers: COVID-19

• Workplace: Novel Coronavirus Prevention & Control for Farms – Cornell University Agricultural Workforce Development

• Food Safety: Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease - FDA

• Food Safety: COVID-19 Food Safety Resources: Consumers, Food Service, Growers, Industry, Retail – UC Cooperative Extension

• Food Safety: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Food Industry Resources – Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University

• Disinfecting: Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility - CDC

• Disinfecting: Cleaning and Disinfecting Households - CDC

• Disinfecting: List N - Disinfectants for Use Against SARS - CoV - 2 - EPA 

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INDUSTRY SPECIFIC RESOURCES

• Guidance for Home Based Processors - Kentucky Department for Public Health, Food Safety Branch

• COVID-19 Resources for Local Producers and Direct Marketers - University of Kentucky

• Considerations for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Related to Coronavirus & COVID-19 - University of Vermont

• Coronavirus: Fresh Produce Industry Resource Page – United Fresh Produce Association

• COVID-19 Economic Impact on Local Food Markets and A Closer Look at CARES Act – National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

• U-PICK Best Practices during COVID-19 - Cornell Cooperative Extension

ONLINE MARKETING​​​

• How to Set up an Online Store (webinar and resources) - Center for Crop Diversification

• Online Sales Platforms for Farmers (webinar) along with a list of Questions to Consider When Moving Sales Online - Oregon Tilth

• Direct Sales Software Comparison – fourteen different farm-focused software programs - National Young Farmers Coalition

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ORGANIC ASSOCIATION OF KENTUCKY (OAK) OFFERINGS

• OAK Virtual Farmer Call-In 5.20.20: Strategies for Legal and Financial Risk Management - Zoom Recording

• OAK Virtual Farmer Call-In 5.20.20 - NOTES and RESOURCES - Speaker Contact Info and Referenced Links

• OAK Virtual Farmer Call-In - COVID-19 4.9.20 - Zoom Recording

• OAK Virtual Farmer Call-In - COVID-19 4.9.20 - NOTES and RESOURCES - Speaker Contact Info and Referenced Links