- Credibility:
LOGAN SQUARE — The Logan Square Farmers Market is back in business.
After getting postponed for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers are now ready to open the beloved outdoor market with many new safety guidelines to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Opening day is set for 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday.
Only 100 people will be allowed in the market at any given time. All shoppers must enter at Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Boulevard. Once inside, there will be a strictly enforced one-way aisle.
Shoppers will be required to stand six feet away behind a taped-off area while vendors fetch and bag up produce. There will be a strict “no touching” policy and a 9 a.m. priority shopping hour for seniors, immunocompromised people, pregnant parents and those at higher risk for serious complications from infection.
Hand washing stations will be provided throughout. Reusable bags are welcome, but vendors won’t be allowed to touch them. For a full list of COVID-19 safety guidelines, and for more information about the market, visit the market’s website.
“We ask that customers do not linger or socialize or plan to meet others in groups, think of the market as an outdoor grocery store, be respectful of a vendor’s time and be patient as we all adapt to this new market experience,” market manager Rosie Fitz said in an email.
Shoppers can expect far fewer vendors than in past years. The market typically hosts around 80 vendors selling everything from prepared foods to produce and farm products.
But fewer than 25 vendors, all from local farms, are confirmed for this Sunday’s market to allow for social distancing, Fitz said. Organizers are planning to add bakeries and other types of vendors later in the season, but there will be no prepared food vendors this year, Fitz said.
Shoppers are encouraged to pre-order online when possible. Pre-order information will be posted to the market’s website soon. But all shoppers, even those who pre-order, should expect to wait in line, Fitz said.
City-operated farmers markets are also opening this month under Chicago’s Phase 3 reopening plan.
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