The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued vital guidance in response to COVID-19 for farms and other agricultural businesses who serve farms.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced: “As the Commonwealth takes steps to mitigate against COVID-19 … businesses across the state have been asked to consider if they’re essential or not. Agriculture’s role is unquestionable: access to food is a right; we need local agriculture now more than ever.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) encourages businesses, especially food production and distribution facilities, to continue operations. However, the decision for essential businesses to stay open or voluntarily close during the COVID-19 mitigation phase is a business-by-business decision.
All essential businesses that choose to remain open should review and adjust standard operating procedures to minimize risk, take measures to protect their employees, send home sick employees, and minimize or eliminate congregate settings or groups of more than 10 people whenever possible.