Information for stallholders

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INFORMATION FOR MULLUMBIMBY COMMUNITY MARKET STALLHOLDERS.

It is imperative we hear that you are COVID-19 READY to resume business and come back and trade at the markets. Please reply to the attached form to register your stall as places may be limited

It is compulsory you register with NSW Health and complete the required safety plans; this is to ensure we are all on the same page with our responsibilities on protecting our community and you understand your responsibilities.

It is vital you do this to return to the market. If you do not have access to the internet and cannot find someone to help you register with NSW Government and then with us, please contact us and we will work with you to help you through the process.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

When will the market return?

We are planning on opening on the 15th of August 2020 but with restrictions.

TCCM Representatives attended a regional meeting last week to discuss with the other North Coast market Managers/Committees and local Council Health Officers on how to bring back the markets in a way that will protect all parties who attend and the community that holds the market. It raised many challenges that the larger markets face with holding an event that attracts 1000’s of visitors and the questions of if the markets were prepared and COVID-19 safe to open up the communities to hold a market or an event.

During the forum we discussed many areas which are noted below and were answered respectively from our local councils.

Questions raised included

  1. Were the market managements COVID 19 ready as per NSW Government and were they able to meet current standards by having the required procedures in place to protect the community?
  2. How does the 4sqm rule work in open spaces, like markets, and how do you estimate the number of visitors you can have come through your entry points.? (NSW Government regulations are not clear enough on how to measure the ratio in an outdoor event)
  3. How do you manage food court areas and what are the requirements?
  4. Who will be monitoring the markets and will there be fines for organisers/retailers if breached accidently/ignorantly? (Markets will be monitored by local council, COVID-19 NSW health inspectors and enforced by NSW Police, Byron Council are meeting with their local command next week to discuss how this will be enforced and will get back to the group)

It was also agreed that if all our markets were to proceed and meet the requirements, it was important that we provide the right information to our clients (our retailers), and our community groups on how to be COVID ready alongside the market organisers. It was agreed, we could streamline the process by developing ‘best practice’ guidelines that all markets follow to give a uniformed message. Making it easy for all to follow, by all using the same principals and guidelines across all the markets involved.

It was unanimous; we wanted to support all our clients wholeheartedly and wanted to make the decision based on when it was safe for our markets to open to our communities and tourists, we understand the economic pressure to return to business.

The Management Committee of The Mullumbimby Community Market agreed on Tuesday the 23trd of June, that we are in support of working alongside the other regional markets and will prepare to reopen for business in August 2020.

The regional markets include Brunswick Markets, Lismore Carboot Market, Bangalow Markets, Byron Community Markets and The Channon Market. As a collective we intend to promote August as the month we ‘start up’. We plan to celebrate as a community collective the leaps and bounds we will make to ‘get back to business’ and our intention as a collective;  to support the growth and promotion of all our cottage industries and small business.

It was also agreed that a joint advertising campaign ‘bringing the markets back’ could benefit all the markets, letting the public know we are COVID safe as businesses.

Each council representative is happy to discuss any details on being COVID-19 Safe, please give them and your local council environmental officers/health inspectors a call or email if you have any questions that are not clear about your obligation.

Please also note that once you register your Safety Plan with NSW Government you only need to do it once, If you’re a food stall or provider of things that go into your mouth you will need to do a little more training, see link below. The certificate from this course is to be emailed to each market manager.

https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/covid-19-awareness-food-service-training

Our commitment to the community will be to prepare to open in August, providing the best practice on managing the requirements of NSW Government, we will work with our staff, our contractors, the other market managers and our retailers to make sure the North Coast is prepared to reopen the markets.

We look forward to a successful end of this year and wish you well. Please make sure you return the attached form to register your stall.

Kind regards,

Sarah Newsome

Mullumbimby Market Manager

BVHS Inc – Market Conveners

 

registration form

Market update

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At this stage we are still working to ensure that the market will be Covid 19 safe according to government health and safety regulations. Watch this space for when the market will be on. Please don’t keep ringing. Thank you