Flowers, masks and health alerts were all part of the scene at Salem’s Saturday Market on April 4. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
The opening day of Salem Saturday Market featured fewer vendors and customers and criticism for seeming to violate social distancing standards.
The market staged the first run of the season on Saturday, April 4, that quickly drew questions and even rebukes on social media.
But market operators said they took steps to obey the state order for such affairs, asking customers to keep a six-foot distance from each other and by spacing vendors.
Lisa Sherman, executive director of Salem Saturday Market, said overall the market, its functioning a signal that not everything in the community was on hold, went “really well.”
Unlike previous years, Sherman said that Saturday Market, held on a lot on the corner of Northeast Summer and Marion Streets, is more of a market than a gathering place. She said that the tables and chairs usually set up in the food court are stowed. Artisans normally selling jewelry or woodwork at the market also weren’t present.
What remained was farmers selling butter, milk, eggs, bread, leaks, microgreens, bison meat and other goods people could use to stock their refrigerators. Also new was lots of sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations.
Still, Sherman acknowledged, some people questioned the market’s operation.
“It was a little bit confusing or frustrating for them,” said Sherman.
Like grocery stores, Saturday Market asked customers to stand 6 feet apart she said. There were also fewer people, said Sherman. On a nice day in April, the market would draw thousands. But last Saturday just a couple hundred showed up she said.
She said that after the event concluded she had convinced some skeptics that a farmers’ market could be managed safely during the outbreak.
“We are adjusting just like everyone else,” she said.
And Salem residents continued to adjust to an era where staying home is expected, government services are reduced if not closed, and businesses struggle to operate under new rules.
On Sunday with nice weather, the city’s Minto-Brown Island Park was so busy that cars were parked along the road as families set off walking, biking and running. Those out and about made an effort to stay in their groups, stepping to the side of trails to let others pass.
Some wore masks as they took to the trail – respirators on hand from home improvement projects or wildfire smoke mitigation, bandanas and everything in between. Park port-a-potties had been removed, and signs at maps and along parking areas reminded visitors in English and Spanish to maintain social distance.
The post office in west Salem was busy Tuesday afternoon. Inside, people wearing masks or bandanas waited on segments of tape spaced apart, while signs on the front of counter reminded visitors: “6 feet.”
Employees also wore masks. One wore a face shield, while standing behind a protective barrier at the counter.
Obedience to social distancing is evident throughout the community. Stores such as Walmart now regulate how many people can shop at one time, leaving those ready to buy standing in line – six feet apart.
At Que Huong Oriental Market on Silverton Road, the door is papered with signs about social distancing and the importance of cleaning hands and wearing masks. Customers entering are asked to sanitize their hands using a bottle hung near the door, then don a paper mask if they didn’t come in wearing one.
But no one is getting handcuffed for violating the governor’s order – a criminal misdemeanor that could net a violator 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine.
Salem Police Lt. Treven Upkes said police haven’t fielded a lot of complaints from citizens about social distancing. He said people were complaining about the Salem Saturday Market and the school’s Chromebook giveaway through other channels, like social media.
“I get the frustrations of people,” he said. “Strange times call for strange measures.”
Upkes said police are still focused on educating violators to the state mandate for social distancing.
And the times continued to bring out the best in people.
At school after school, teachers and other school employees organized car parades, looping through neighborhoods around elementary schools to greet students. One was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon around Englewood Elementary School in northeast Salem.
Several groups have started creative efforts to deliver food and other necessities to people in need.
Marion County began operating a food pantry by delivery two weeks ago, taking fresh produce, trail mix, flour, rice beans, diapers, wipes and paper products to county residents who request help. The food comes from Marion Polk Food Share, while non-food items are donated or bought by the county.
The goal is to “deliver food to individuals who are quarantined, self-isolating, or staying home to save lives,” said Gwen Weber, who’s running the program for the county, in an email.
So far 610 families have benefited and have 300 more who have requested food, with about 150 new requests coming in daily. Deliveries go out on Fridays, and there’s no income or other requirement to receive help.
Those interested can call 503-361-2766 or email [email protected] to place a request for a box.
Santiam Hospital already had teams working to help people in east Marion County find housing, apply for food stamps and seek other help. With many people now homebound, those teams began fielding requests to deliver medication or food and decided to start a program.
“It was overnight … It just went really fast once we decided we were going to go for it,” said Melissa Baurer, the hospital’s community liaison.
They’re serving households in Turner, Aumsville and nearby parts of Salem, as well as Stayton and areas closer to the hospital.
Baurer said those asking for help typically fall into two categories: those who can’t afford essentials because of recent job loss, and those who have money but can’t leave the house because they’re elderly or immunocompromised. Those who can pay can leave reimbursement for volunteer delivery drivers, while donors foot the bill for those who are struggling.
“Some of the households have called and they don’t have any money, like they’ve applied for unemployment and that hasn’t been approved yet,” Baurer said.
Those who want help can call 503-409-3652. Marion County is also referring people who call their line and live in the Santiam service area to their service, Weber said.
Duane West, CEO of 3R’s 3Rs Construction of Salem, said that on Thursday, April 9, his company will set up in the parking lot of Morning Star Community Church, 4775 27th Ave S.E., to disinfect the vehicles of local fire departments, law enforcement, ambulances and utility workers.
He said that he’s offering to disinfect up to 10 vehicles for each department or agency for free. He said that church volunteers will be on hand to pass out energy drinks, protein bars and notes of encouragement to first responders who show up.
West said it’s part of a more proactive approach to the outbreak.
“We are pushing back,” he said.
And Tuesday was the first day back on the street for Cherriots, which ran a limited schedule and fewer routes after shutting down a week before after at least seven employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Cherriots spokeswoman Patricia Feeny said everyone observed social distancing protocols and drivers were appreciative of masks and face shields.
Still, the coronavirus continued to take a toll on the community.
Salem city officials said they had employees test positive. But city spokeswoman Kathy Ursprung said the city elected not to share with the community the number of employees infected or which departments employed them.
She said the city’s human resources and legal departments wanted to protect the privacy of the employees.
State prison officials reported new cases of employees and inmates infected at the Santiam Correctional Facility and Oregon State Penitentiary.
The Oregon Health Authority also reported Tuesday that three more Marion County residents had died from COVID-19. They were elderly women, but the state was providing no other information about the patients.
As of Tuesday, nine Marion County residents have died from the disease and 215 have tested positive, according to the latest state figures. Three staff at the Oregon State Penitentiary had tested positive for COVID-19. A larger cluster is in the Santiam Correctional Institution where two staff and three inmates tested positive.
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