Coronavirus

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resources and Information

Updated January 11, 2022

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.

General information about COVID-19:

• CDC: gov/coronavirus
• SCDHEC: gov/coronavirus

COVID-19 Vaccine

Commissioner Weathers encourages eligible people to get vaccinated.

Currently, all South Carolinians age 5 and older can get a COVID-19 vaccine. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s vaccine information page can be found here. Make an appointment by using scdhec.gov/vaxlocator or by calling DHEC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Information Line at 1-866-365-8110 for help.

The CDC has a communication toolkit to promote vaccination among essential workers, including the food and agriculture sector.

Food Safety

SCDA is not aware of any evidence suggesting COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging.

However, it is always important to follow good hygiene practices when handling or preparing foods: wash hands and surfaces often, separate raw meat from other foods, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate foods promptly.

Farms and food processing facilities are already required under state and federal law to take steps to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses.

SCDA urges food producers to continue following best practices.

More on COVID-19 and Food Safety:

• FDA coronavirus site – Food Products
• USDA: gov/coronavirus

Food Supply

• Commissioner Weathers Urges Calm on Food Supply
• Commissioner Weathers: Food and Fiber Industries Are Essential During Emergency

Federal Aid for Agriculture

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes more than $10 billion in COVID relief funding for agriculture. The allocation includes grant and loan funding; food and agricultural commodity purchasing funding; and financial and educational assistance for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

USDA’s current relief initiative, announced March 24, 2021, is known as USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers. 

The American Rescue Plan Act specifically includes debt relief for socially disadvantaged producers. USDA’s overview of this relief can be found here.

Farmers to Food Banks

Seeking a way to help farmers and the South Carolina community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and SC Advocates for Agriculture teamed up to create the Farmers to Food Banks program in June 2020.

Using money donated by generous companies and individuals, this program granted funding to nine distributors (selected by a review committee) to buy produce from South Carolina farmers and create food boxes to donate to Feeding America food banks.

Through three rounds of funding, Farmers to Food Banks has supported 33 farms and distributed 20,959 boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to families in need. SCDA may consider additional rounds of fundraising and distribution.

Resources

• How to Find Local Meat in South Carolina
• Guidelines for Farmers Markets During the COVID-19 Outbreak
• Guidelines for U-Pick Farms During the COVID-19 Outbreak
• SCDHEC Education and Outreach Materials, including COVID-19 safety posters in Spanish
• How to Buy Local While Social Distancing: On-Farm Pickups & More! – Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
• Protective Measures for U-Pick Farms – The South Carolina Grower
• COVID-19 Resources for Dairies – The Center for Dairy Excellence
• COVID-19 Resources for Agribusiness – Clemson Extension
• Assurance About Food Safety and Supply for People and Animals During COVID-19 – FDA
• Safely Distributing Unused Human Food for Animal Food Use During COVID-19 – FDA
• Farmer Relief Fund – American Farmland Trust
• Helpful Questions and Answers About Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Your Pets – FDA
• For information about applying for SNAP benefits and other assistance, visit South Carolina’s multi-agency SCMAPP portal.
• Temporary policy on qualified exemption under the Produce Safety Rule – FDA
• Considerations for Controlling COVID-19 Spread in Retail Food Establishments [pdf] – DHEC
• Retail Virtual Inspections [ppt] – DHEC
• COVID-19 in Meat Processing Establishments [ppt] – Clemson
• Coronavirus Information and Resources for Restaurants – National Restaurant Association