PENDLETON — Until Tuesday morning, plans for this spring’s Pendleton Farmers Market rolled along, albeit as a scaled-down version that included serious social distancing. Gov. Kate Brown didn’t mention farmers markets in her executive order last week, leaving them as essential businesses the same as grocery stores.

So plans for the event continued. They halted abruptly on Tuesday morning when Pendleton Farmers Market Manager Hal McCune opened an email from City Manager Robb Corbett sent Monday at 5:01 p.m. Corbett notified McCune that the city won’t allow the market to set up downtown as usual.

“We have reviewed your request in light of the recent coronavirus restrictions as directed by the State of Oregon (attached) and are not in favor of allowing the market to occur until the state’s restrictions on social distancing are modified or eliminated,” wrote Corbett. “Allowing the market would violate the prohibition on gatherings of more than 25 people and also the governor’s stated intent to encourage residents to stay home. I am very sorry.”

McCune’s heart sunk as he read the message.

In a story on the East Oregonian website Tuesday, written before this latest development, McCune said that this year’s market would go forward sans the usual kids activities, musical performers and hot food booths. Produce booths would be spaced farther apart and patrons would be encouraged to refrain from handling the fruit and vegetables.

In the aftermath of reading the email, McCune worried about vendors.

“This will be a crushing blow to our vendors who rely on income from our market, and no doubt a big disappointment to our patrons,” he said. “We hope to resume the market on Main Street as soon as the city reissues approval to use the 300 block.”

Despite his disappointment, McCune said he understands the dilemma the city faces.

“It’s a bummer,” he said, “but I also understand the city’s perspective to put the safety of residents first.”

On Tuesday, Corbett said this was not a city council decision, but rather fell in his purview in approving or rejecting permit requests. The farmers market board recently requested moving from the 300 block of South Main Street to a nearby parking lot across Main from the Chamber of Commerce. The move would have allowed better social distancing and possibly a drive-thru market.

Corbett said in light of the governor’s stay home order last week, “I feel having a farmers market would violate the intent of that” in the same way as festivals and other gatherings.

“It doesn’t seem practical to believe that’s something the state intended to allow,” he said.

Kelly Crane, executive director of the Oregon Farmers Market Association, is disappointed.

“We know that (the Pendleton Farmers Market) is a well-run market, whose operators care deeply about their community and are likely to do everything possible to keep them safe and healthy,” Crane wrote in an email. “The last thing any of us needs right now is reduced access to food products — especially with the potential supply chain disruptions that we might be seeing in the near future if the COVID-19 outbreak continues as projected by health experts.”

She said she hopes the market can find a different home that allows them the physical space needed to create social distance and enact other required safe shopping practices for their customers and vendors.

“I think, honestly, that it is a matter of misunderstanding,” she said. “The Governor’s office, as well as the Oregon Department of Agriculture, has classified farmers markets as “essential businesses,” and has worked with us to provide safe guidelines for markets in order to be able to support them staying open.”

Oregon Farmers Market Association guidelines include providing social distancing officers to enforce social distancing. Markets are also expected to nix samples, restrict hot food sales, cancel nonessential programming, remove all seating, include hand washing stations and require increased spacing between booths.