While people are being vaccinated daily against COVID-19, the virus is still spreading in our community and around the state. The following Safety Practices are designed to help slow down the spread of infection by minimizing the chances that any one of us will accidentally contract or spread the virus while at a permablitz or other in-person event.
- Masks are required at all Resilience Hub events. Carry a personal sanitation/protection kit with you at all times. This kit should include:
- Hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes
- Extra rags to wipe down tools and other surfaces
- A plastic bag for used wipes or rags
- Be extra cautious. Do not assume that anyone else is following these Safety Practices. Do assume that you, and others around you, may be carrying the virus without knowing it.
- Practice regular, careful sanitation.
- Wash your hands frequently. Soap is very effective at killing the virus. Alcohol (60-70% concentration) is also effective. You can carry your own “hand washing station” by keeping very soapy water in a tight container with a washcloth or brush inside.
- Minimize touching, and be very aware of what you touch. Try to avoid touching your face, and only touch other surfaces and objects when truly necessary.
- Sanitize all surfaces before and after touching. Use sanitizing wipes or a clean cloth with a spray bottle of sanitizer. Wash reuseable cloths regularly.
- Be careful with gloves. Gardening gloves can help us work outdoors and remind us not to touch our faces. But gloves do not replace proper hand sanitation procedures. The outside of your glove can transmit diseases from one surface to another, including transmitting the disease to yourself and others. If you use gloves, put them in a plastic bag after use and wash hands immediately. Wash gloves thoroughly in hot soapy water or washing machine.
- Maintain physical distance.
- Maintain at least 6 feet between yourself and others. If you’re not sure what this distance looks like, you can imagine someone you know who is 6’ tall lying down between you, or you can measure and cut a 6’ stick or board and keep it on display at the growing site.
- Try to avoid carpooling to the site. If you must carpool with people you are not self-isolating with, wear facemasks.
- The Resilience Hub will limit the number of people at each event in accordance with state guidelines and depending on the size of the site. This information will be included in event descriptions so attendees can make informed decisions regarding participation.
- Stay home when sick. Do your best to avoid contact with others, and seek medical advice and testing if possible.
- Don’t forget that people who do not show any symptoms can still transmit the virus, so don’t wait for someone to get sick before taking precautions.
- Be safe with tools and other equipment.
- Try to avoid sharing tools, and if sharing is necessary be sure to sanitize them before and after each use.
- Do not leave personal tools behind, and do not pick up tools left by others without sanitizing them before and after you touch them.
- Choose a community “reminder” word. It’s easy to forget to follow some of these practices, and we may need friendly reminders. One easy way to do this is to agree on a word (humor is good!) that everyone can say to each other as needed, which means “don’t forget to follow the safety practices!”
- For example: you see someone passing a tool to someone else without sanitizing the handle. You call out, “banana!” and everyone knows that you’re reminding them to be more careful.
Credits: Land in Common and the Maine Land Share Project. Key language and ideas in this document are drawn from the work of the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center Lots to Gardens staff; and from Hannah Traggis of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, whose work was done in consultation with the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, the Community Food Security Coalition at Tufts, the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks, and the Boston Food System listserv at Tufts.