{"id":2051,"date":"2020-03-23T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T14:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/minnesota.safefoodtraining.com\/2026\/?p=2051"},"modified":"2020-04-06T13:29:06","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T18:29:06","slug":"a-minnesota-certified-food-protection-managers-response-to-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minnesota.safefoodtraining.com\/2026\/certified-food-protection-manager\/a-minnesota-certified-food-protection-managers-response-to-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"A Minnesota Certified Food Protection Manager’s Response to COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At Safe Food Training, we recognize that we’re now in unprecedented times. Government mandates call for reduced service, including a statewide appeal to restaurants to close dining rooms and offer takeout or delivery only. MN certified food protection managers must now respond to the COVID-19 threat and flattening the curve<\/a> as well as keeping food safe for customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credit:CDC\/The Economist<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for Minnesota Certified Food Protection Managers Taken from West Coast Response to COVID-19 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of our years of food safety training, we\u2019ve been fortunate to not only make contacts with foodservice professionals in our state but keep in touch with contacts elsewhere. With the current situation involving the coronavirus, we\u2019ve been in touch with a friend and colleague who currently resides in the Seattle metro area. If you\u2019ve been following the news, Washington State has the unfortunate distinction of having some of the first cases of the virus, as well as being one of the leaders in the United States in positive cases and fatalities. We\u2019ve reached out to learn more about how the restaurant industry is responding in an effort to see what they can do in our state to help slow this epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you are already aware, the Governor of Minnesota has already asked restaurants to limit access to restaurants and bars<\/a> by closing dining rooms and providing takeout service, drive-thru or delivery on March 17th. Washington State issued a similar edict taking place on the same day. This should be good news for Minnesota restaurateurs. Not waiting until exposure levels of COVID-19 reach Washington State levels gives us the potential to return to business as usual sooner rather than later. At the time of our conversation with our connection in Washington, Minnesota has only one COVID-19 fatality among 137 positive cases. Washington has over 1,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 83 deaths, with more cases expected daily. Our Seattle colleague is hearing that due to the delay in action, restaurants in some counties are preparing to close longer than their mandated 14 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how should certified food protection managers process these COVID-19 statistics? Granted, we are not Washington State, but we\u2019re talking about a virus that currently has no vaccine or FDA approved treatment. We should be very concerned with the health and wellbeing of our customers and their families. The sooner we see results and a decline in cases, the sooner we can get our restaurants open and profitable again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019d take quite some time to cover everything in our discussion with our friend in Seattle, but we hope to break some of that information down to share with you soon. Here are some of the things health inspectors and foodservice business owners in the Pacific Northwest are currently recommending to stem the tide of COVID-19 :<\/p>\n\n\n\n