epicuric,
I wonder how they plan to enforce that. I was reading somewhere the police are actually going into people's homes to enforce the limit on number of people.
There are Constitutional rights/laws against illegal searches. The police can't just come into your home unless invited (some crimes allow them access without permission, such as domestic violence) or with a search warrant.
I am sure the farmers are worried. I cannot begin to imagine how many are going to have to close if this continues much longer.
I heard (it may have been on this forum) that some farmers are giving away food because they cannot get it processed to sell to the local stores. I wonder if there's a way to connect farmers with local food banks and/or schools that have to provide daily meals for students on the free lunch programs?
There are farmers in our southern growing region (Redland), after their orders have been filled, that offer the leftovers free to anyone who will pick them up, including food banks. No one is willing to pick it up and it ends up in the compost pile.
Christmas is a difficult time of year for many even without the pandemic. You are correct that it will be amplified this year. I used to volunteer at various ministries around the holidays. This year I won't be able to due to some health problems. I can't wait to feel better to start volunteering again. Last year, I did an "Angel card" project which is just writing out Christmas cards for people and mailing them. I enjoyed that as I love arts and crafts. I'll try to find a similar project this year.