COVID-19 Information

To keep agricultural producers, businesses and service providers as up-to-date as possible on our response during the COVID-19 pandemic, WSDA will maintain the most recent information and guidance available on this page. Visit frequently as information will be updated.

Following the lifting of Washington's mask mandate, WSDA has re-opened some of its offices to the public.

• Beginning Monday, March 21, WSDA offices in the Natural Resources Building in Olympia will re-open to public visitors.Those visiting the building will need to check in with the receptionist at the first-floor lobby desk to be escorted to WSDA offices on the second floor of the building.
• Other WSDA offices around the state remain closed to the public for now. As ever, if you require assistance, please call the main agency number at 360-902-1800 or find numbers for specific programs in our Contact Us webpage.
• Learn more in our news release: WSDA headquarters reopening to the public

COVID-19 related actions
WSDA has taken several additional measures in response to the pandemic. These actions include:

• Allowing cottage food operations to ship their products to customers under a temporary suspension of the usual prohibition of this practice. Visit the WSDA cottage food webpage for more information.
• Partnered with private donors, other state and federal agencies, and tapped WSDA emergency funds to procure food, personal protective equipment and other supplies to support hunger-relief efforts statewide. The Food Security During COVID-19 infographic [PDF] offers a snapshot of the agency’s involvement in food assistance efforts.
• Adjusting pesticide testing to provide more room for social distancing with smaller groups of test takers. Read the Limited Testing Options memo for more information. 
• Mandating teleworking for agency employees, where possible. Numerous WSDA staff members are currently working from home until further notice.

Food security 
Since March 2020, WSDA Director Derek Sandison has co-led the Governor’s Food Security Coordination Team to respond to the dramatic increase in food insecurity across the state caused by COVID-19. Hunger relief organizations’ operations have been severely impacted in numerous ways and WSDA has played a lead role in addressing these challenges in close cooperation with our Food Assistance programs, other state agencies and emergency food providers.

• Emergency food programs [PDF] working with the Department of Social and Health Services’ Senior Nutrition Programs and WSDA’s Food Assistance Program have been identified as preferred sites for volunteer recruitment, staffing and service placements as we work to keep these programs fully operational throughout this crisis.

WSDA is preparing guidance for our staff, customers, and the public that address concerns specific to our operations. Here are currently available fact sheets and other resources.  

Information about COVID-19 is available in several languages. Here are some key materials available in Spanish. 

• COVID-19 y la producción de alimentos en el estado de Washington 
• COVID-19 Información del programa de seguridad de los productos agricólas del WSDA
• COVID-19 y mejores prácticas de alimentos y piensos para animales 
• COVID-19 y depósitos para almacenamiento de alimentos en el estado de Washington

Other resources on COVID-19 

• Información sobre el coronavirus - Information for employers and employees from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, including posters and educational material. 

• Coronavirus.wa.gov – This official Washington State website for the coronavirus response includes information and resources from several state agencies. 
• Doh.wa.gov/coronavirus – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) website with the latest public health information and current recommendations.
• CDC.gov/coronavirus – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coronavirus webpage.
• doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/CoronavirusSpanish - DOH information in Spanish
• DOH coronavirus information in other languages available here: Information on COVID-19

If you wish to share any of the PDF documents, we recommend sharing the link to this webpage rather than downloading documents as PDFs, as the content may change during this evolving situation.