UK zoos & lockdown going forward...
- Thread starter TriUK
- Start date
Oh, indeed; my point is more that assuming the current restrictions aren't working - and that is why things are increasing - is overly simplistic
Technically speaking my mother is being more reckless in her personal health by going to work with 150+ children and about 20 adults (and whose personal levels of caution she has no way of knowing) than she would be were she to visit myself and Helly (who have been leaving our flat perhaps once a week on average for the last nine months) - but the former is obligatory and "safe" whilst the latter is officially deemed reckless and rule-breaking. I've had a fair few video calls of late allowing her to vent about that one......
Sorry, don't know how I forgot Cedars, I have been there a few times including for one of my last visits pre-March lockdown. I did mean it to read Herts? as I wasn't sure if there were any zoos in the western part of Herts either.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the Government has published a statutory instrument today amending Covid tier regulations so that outdoor areas of zoos can remain open in Tier 4 areas of England from Boxing Day.
BIAZA on Twitter: "A Christmas gift! UK Gov today published an SI for the opening of outdoor “aquarium, zoo or safari park or outdoor animal attractions at a farm, wildlife centre or any other place where animals are exhibited to the public as an attraction;” in Tier 4 from Boxing Day https://t.co/oJAw7yoWxt" / Twitter
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk)
BIAZA on Twitter: "A Christmas gift! UK Gov today published an SI for the opening of outdoor “aquarium, zoo or safari park or outdoor animal attractions at a farm, wildlife centre or any other place where animals are exhibited to the public as an attraction;” in Tier 4 from Boxing Day https://t.co/oJAw7yoWxt" / Twitter
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk)
This is the key bit from the explanatory document (The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk)):
Excellent news, though it appears it’s caught ZSL off-guard. Nothings appeared on their social media channels thus far...
I think most places were (outwardly at least) resigned to closing again so there's going to be a few screeching handbrake turns on the bookings systems of England's zoos today..!
littleRedPanda
Well-Known Member
Good news indeed. I was handing over a little donation to a zoo at the time of Maguari's post, thinking they wouldn't be reopening for a while. As it is, I can't make that short trip legally for now, but can feel less guilty about going to a couple of other places in my own tier.
I think it caught everyone off guard to be fair. Great news though - I personally won't be able to visit any collections as we have none that would be considered local, but I hope people who are local can make the most of it.
Zsl posted they are opening next week , not given a date yet but as I live only 10 miles from whipsnade will be planning a visit ASAP
Great news & about time this terrible government did right by our zoos and wildlife parks. Having screwed over so many collections by making it impossible for them to access the ‘zoo fund’ this is the very least they can do!
Merry Xmas to all my zoochat friends & best wishes to all staff at all collections.
Merry Xmas to all my zoochat friends & best wishes to all staff at all collections.
The least they could do was nothing at all! Maybe Boris was feeling particularly generous after getting his trade deal.
Anyway, Merry Xmas to all ‘chatters and all the UK’s collections-you have not been forgotten about!
There seems to be a general recognition that it is very difficult to catch COVID in the outdoors. Here in Victoria Australia zoos were able to open before indoor venues, and our Chief Health Officer made the observation that of cases they had traced there were a lot caught indoors, a number that could have been caught indoors or out, and none that were definitely caught outdoors.
taun
Well-Known Member
Doubt it, probably doing it so he doesn't have to spend the zoo fund.
It is good news but still zoos will struggle.
I sincerely hope so but I very much doubt it.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Having just seen the evening news on Boxing Day, the media seems not to have picked up on this change in the tier rules sneaked in on Christmas Eve - yet, at any rate... So the public, who have been told to stay at home, dont yet know of this change. They were told by the Government during the last 2 lock-downs that (with the exception of the Wildfowl Trust) Zoos were too dangerous to visit, so they must stay shut; so we'll have to see if this about-face is believed or not. As it is, it comes at a time of year with minimal footfall (we,for example get around 1% of our annual visitation in January), after we lost around £100,000 by being closed in a mild and dry November.
This is only a change to Tier restrictions, and so is likely to be only a very short-term temporary measure, as when the Tier system is abandoned and we go into full lockdown (like Northern Ireland just has), then zoos will be closed again like the last twice....
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Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Not the UK Government - till now at any rate!
Zoos (save the Wildfowl Trust) were treated as 'indoor leisure' for nine months. We can only hope that this legally formalised about-face of opinion in the form of an SI, will at least provide some sort of precedent, and when we come out of the third full lockdown (in say March?, or later..) then Zoos will be able to open sooner than last June.
It is evident that Covid spikes have not occurred here as a result of open-air activities being allowed, or happening illegally. The mass crowds at National Trust properties, at Brighton beach, the race riots in London and indeed at some zoos which did not voluntarily restrict foot-fall, did not result in spikes of Covid cases; these happened first time after Government allowed air-travel, schools and universities to re-open (all indoors), and secondly after the country opened up again on December 2nd to go Christmas shopping.
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