UK zoos & lockdown going forward...
- Thread starter TriUK
- Start date
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
"Actually, just noticed museums are due to re-open at the same time, so it's probably not just outdoor areas.
EDIT: Actually again, two different BBC articles seem to be contradictory on this - so one to check later and see which is right..!
Message from BIAZA - UK and Ireland Zoo Association - follows. Jist is English Zoos unable to open until after Easter
Dear all,
Today the Prime Minister set out his roadmap for ending lockdown restrictions in England. The key dates include:
• Step 1a: 8 March - schools will reopen to all students. People can socialise in public outdoor spaces with 1 other person, otherwise stay at home remains in place.
• Step 1b: 29 March - two households or groups of 6 people are able to meet outdoors. Tennis courts & outdoor sports can resume
• Step 2: 12 April at the earliest – outdoor attractions such as zoos and safari parks will be able to open, alongside non-essential retail, outdoor hospitality and self-catering accommodation
• Step 3: 17 May at the earliest – indoor attractions will be able to open such as cinemas. We expect this will include aquariums but will seek further confirmation. 30 people will be able to gather outdoors, while rule of 6 or two household limits will apply to indoor socialising. Performances and events, within limits, will become possible.
• Step 4: 21 June at the earliest – final stage of reopening will include removing limits on social contact and the return of large events. A review of social distancing measures, mask wearing and working from home will be completed before this step that will inform when these measures can be lifted.
The Prime Minister was keen to stress that all these dates are contingent on the success of the fight against the pandemic, with at least 5 weeks between each step. He also confirmed that if new variants emerge, localised restrictions may be needed to control their spread.
BIAZA shares the immense disappointment of its members that zoos, safari parks and aquariums in England will continue to be closed to visitors under lockdown restrictions for some time to come. We are particularly disappointed given the lengths we have gone to to impress the importance of reopening for the Easter visitor season to Ministers and officials, and the imminent loss of the extremely limited Zoo Animals Fund.
While we continue to support the national efforts against the coronavirus, UK Government must give zoos and aquariums a path beyond the pandemic with the urgent establishment of an accessible Zoo Recovery Fund. This is more important than ever.
Clearly without the prospect of opening soon, nor any effective financial support for the sector, the currently situation is unsustainable. We will be requesting an emergency meeting with the Zoos Minister and we encourage you to get in touch with your local MP."
It is ridiculous that zoos have been lumped with indoor gyms, hairdressers, museums and non-essential retail, none of which were allowed to open immediately prior to lockdown 3 whilst they were allowed to! Once again government restrictions do not appear to be geared towards what is safe, more what will make them less unpopular or where the money will be spent. Even pub beer gardens will only be 2 weeks behind zoos, there is no justification for not being allowed to open on 29 March at least.
Our schools return from 19th April, so Zoos will get a week of Easter potential. It is inconceivable that they would be allowed to open with a bank holiday. Even with spaced bookings the potential for covidiots to wreck things is immense. Most older people are receiving 2nd vaccine between end of March and mid May. I'm sure these factors have influenced the decision. Not to say of course funding support is desperately needed.
With the limited visitor numbers, a bank holiday will be no different to any other day surely? The need to book in advance should also reduce the usual number of bank holiday idiots too!
Not the case down south I'm afraid. Easter hols finish April 11th. This is not good news!
Easter holidays here in the north-east also end on April 11th!
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
ALL of our catchment counties go back to school on the 12th.
Perhaps it's just a co-incidence; perhaps...?
Looks as though the December 24th SI has been repealed?
Last edited:
Unfortunately that was specifically for Tier 4 under the 'tier' restrictions, which have now lapsed and it seems no-one in government is keen for their return (if there had been no national lockdown there would have been a vote in parliament round about now about renewing them).
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Yes, of course.
But - the SI was published by Government itself and established the principle/precedent, that zoos and other outdoor animal attractions, were separate from other destinations like museums and theme parks - and were suitable and approved destinations for outdoor exercise.
For the first time, the Government was saying what everyone (and every other Government? - including Scotland) had been saying from the start.
It is this precedent which has now been 'repealed'/broken, as zoos have been re-classified with those establishments (like indoor museums) which the SI formally and legally separated them from.
Unfortunately I would assume the distance travelled to visit an attraction comes into it. Unfortunately, unlike many other countries we have a shortage of zoos in our large cities (I can only name three off the top of my head) which means people from a wider catchment area often travel further to visit a more rural zoological attraction. I can see why this is an issue.
And we'll be losing one of them in the next year or two....
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
You are referring to Bristol ?
Exactly. Then that will leave only London and Edinburgh.
A subject for another thread but interesting none the less is why this is the case? Could you imagine Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, or New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit without a zoo?
From the PDF the government put out, museums and art galleries have to wait until at least stage 3, so no earlier than 17th May to open. Where as Zoos can hopefully open from 12th April, although outdoor elements only, with indoor to open from 17th May. So it would appear there is still that separation.
Belfast, Birmingham and Chester are cities too, and Dudley is contiguous with Birmingham even if it is not within its boundaries.
Very ignorant of me to ignore Belfast. I simply forgot the other two; although I will dispute that Dudley is Birmingham! That brings our total to five.
Chester is a city, although I did say large cities in my original post. I hope that doesn't upset anyone!
Personally as far as a transmission risk goes I can understand why tourist attractions that would normally be very busy (and let's face it people will flock and queue to try and be let in regardless of number limiting we know they will from places that are not local) are not opening during the Easter bank holidays.
However I am very confident that the following weeks and the summer (especially if limiting is not restricted) to be the busiest season most zoos have had for a very long time. Public appetite to go to zoos and to go outside must be at its highest for years.
So yes it is a shame that zoos cannot open over Easter but I think to delay it will be worth it in the long term. Better to delay than risk another lockdown over the summer.
However I am very confident that the following weeks and the summer (especially if limiting is not restricted) to be the busiest season most zoos have had for a very long time. Public appetite to go to zoos and to go outside must be at its highest for years.
So yes it is a shame that zoos cannot open over Easter but I think to delay it will be worth it in the long term. Better to delay than risk another lockdown over the summer.
I was actually thinking of Birmingham as the third, not Edinburgh - Edinburgh Zoo is further from the city centre than one would think, certainly further than somewhere like Chester Zoo which is definitely not an urban collection, and Belfast which I am given to understand is also located on the city fringes.
To some degree it is a case of city zoos having closed down - look at Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff for instance - but there are definitely a surprising number of cities which have never been well-served where zoos are concerned
Newcastle for instance.