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LinkedInPosts Tagged: COVID-19
COVID-19 is still affecting our lives
Dear Colleagues,
It has been over four years since the COVID-19 pandemic has started, and while nearly all of us have returned to in-person work and activities, COVID-19 is still having an impact on our lives in a much different form than at the beginning. ANR Risk & Safety is continuing our efforts to prioritize the health and safety of the ANR community, and we are issuing this reminder regarding the importance of taking proactive measures if you are feeling unwell.
We are still monitoring the COVID-19 cases notified by the employees who report their positive cases. To help us protect each other, we ask you to please submit a Screening Report Survey if you have tested positive for COVID-19. The Survey is checked daily by our team, and one of our team members will reach out to gather more information, including the date of the symptom start, the last date of in-person presence at your respective office or event, and close contacts if there are any. We ask that you complete the questionnaire honestly.
Per Cal/OSHA Regulations, employers are still required to notify all employees who had close contact with a COVID-19 case. Your survey will help us identify the close contacts and reach out to those who may be impacted as soon as possible. In addition, if you require assistance with COVID notifications for non-ANR affiliated attendees at a recent event, please reach out to Rachelle Ghadamy (rghadamy@ucanr.edu) at Risk & Safety, and we will provide a letter draft to share with everyone. We will also provide a letter if we determine that a group notification would be necessary.
We are continuing to provide masks, including N95, and COVID tests if you are experiencing symptoms or suspecting that you may have COVID-19. Please reach out to Duwon Choi (dwchoi@ucanr.edu) at Risk & Safety if you need them for yourself, your location, or upcoming events.
Per CDPH recommendations, we ask that you stay home if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to prevent the spread. You are welcome to use your sick days or coordinate with your supervisor to work remotely until your symptoms improve. You are advised to stay remote until you have not had a fever for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication AND other COVID-19 symptoms are mild and improving. You will be required to wear a mask until your Day 10 (Day 0 is the start of your symptoms or your testing positive, whichever one was sooner). You may remove your mask when you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.
We strongly recommend everyone to receive booster shots. CDC recommends that everyone ages six months and older get the 2024-2025 vaccine. This includes people who received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19. Vaccine protection decreases over time, and the updated vaccine will give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains. One dose of 2024-2024 Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is recommended. If you are immunocompromised or have other health conditions, consult your physician.
Even though many of the COVID-19 preventative measures have been eased, it's crucial that we remain vigilant and considerate of one another's well-being. Please help us create a safer, healthier workplace environment for everyone.
For more information on ANR's COVID-19 Guidelines, please visit ANR EH&S COVID-19 page.
Duwon Choi
Environmental Health & Safety Specialist
ANR Risk and Safety
Farms and ranches sell direct online - Please help grow connections!
Communities support their local farms and ranches
During this COVID-19 emergency, as most agritourism operations have canceled events and on-farm activities, many are refocusing on direct sales - selling to their local community members directly through on-line sales, CSAs, and pick-up and delivery services. UC SAREP is helping consumers purchase directly from local farms and ranches by sharing connections to local farmers all over California on our UC Agritourism Directory, www.calagtour.org.
The new webpage, COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Direct-from-Farm Resources, includes information and links to local agricultural and community organizations connecting consumers with farms and ranches offering box deliveries, farm stands, online ordering, delivery and pickup services, organized by region.
We need you! Please help grow these connections
Resources for connecting with local farmers and ranchers in many California regions are not yet included on this website. We need your help!
If you are an organization promoting local direct sales by farmers and ranchers, or if you are an individual farmer or rancher who would like to be included on this page, please contact Penny Leff, UC SAREP agritourism coordinator, at paleff@ucdavis.edu.
Farmers' markets open as "Essential Services"
In many areas, farmers' markets remain open, with major adjustments for social distancing and sanitary protection for everyone involved. These farmers' markets are essential for farmers as well as consumers, and are a wonderful way for community members to support local farms, but some have changed hours or limited their seasons. Please check the website or Facebook page of your local farmers' market before you visit to learn of any changes.
The Ecology Center has a great tracking tool which allows users to search for farmers' markets and filter for Market Match and EBT acceptance: https://ecologycenter.org/fmfinder/
Empty store shelves are not a sign of impending disaster
Panic-buying groceries and hoarding food in homes is impacting the U.S. supply chain and putting a strain on low-income families who don't have the financial ability to spend hundreds of dollars on groceries at once, reported Ganda Suthivarakom in the New York Times.
“That is probably about half of us, especially during this time when many of us are not working or can't work, with limited incomes or no incomes coming in,” said Lorrene Ritchie, director of the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Nutrition Policy Institute. “The last thing a family in that situation can do is go out and spend $500 on groceries.”
The Times article suggests consumers think about others when they shop, use food they already have in their freezers and pantries, and help people who can't afford to stockpile.
“The food banks, your local food pantry, are experiencing shortages of people to work and put packages of food together. Often that can happen in a safe way with social distancing,” Ritchie said.
If some grocery store shelves are empty, it doesn't mean the U.S. food supply is endangered, reported Ezra David Romero on the Capitol Public Radio website.
“Agriculture is resilient to shocks,” said Dan Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, a UC ANR program. “Consumers can be confident that the food is safe and plentiful. That doesn't mean every product is going to be there all the time.”
But as the pandemic lingers, some products could be harder to find if they're from a part of the world hard hit by COVID-19, Sumner said. As demand is down for certain goods, it could mean “somewhat lower prices. But I expect it will be relatively modest for food. What I mean by that is we're going to continue to eat.”
The article recommends against hoarding and assures that there will be a sufficient supply of food in stores and restaurants.
“You don't need to over buy; it's important to know that our supply chain is safe and plentiful,” said Ron Fong, with the California Grocers Association.
Romero also spoke with UC Cooperative Extension field crops and pest management advisor Rachael Long. She said it's fairly easy for farmers and workers to follow social distance rules, in part because of mechanization.
“You've got a ton of equipment, so it's not like there's a ton of people out there working together on growing the crops,” Long said. “You've got tractors and cultivators that are doing a lot of this work right now.”
