At Save the Chimps, the health, safety, and well-being of sanctuary staff and our chimpanzee residents remains our top priority. As COVID-19 continues to impact our community and we adjust to this “new normal,” we want to assure you that we are taking action on a daily basis to protect and support Save the Chimps.
As a community, Save the Chimps is taking the following measures to ensure the health and safety of all employees reporting to the sanctuary for work as well as chimp residents:
- Limiting Sanctuary Personnel:
- Only essential personnel are allowed onsite (volunteers and visitors are not permitted onsite at this time)
- All care staff are restricted to their assigned buildings (except for necessary lock checks in buildings within their sections) as a means of ensuring that there is no crossover between sections
- Personnel Are Being Sent Home for Signs of Illness:
- Anyone who is ill and is positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19), is required to quarantine at home for at least 10 days. Following the minimum 10-day quarantine, any person with lingering symptoms is advised to contact their health care provider for further instructions
- Personnel who test positive and have been ill for longer than 10 days, may not return to work at Save the Chimps until they have been symptom and medication-free for three consecutive days at the end of their quarantine period
- Any asymptomatic carriers (test positive but have no detectable symptoms) are required to quarantine at home for 10 days from the test date before returning to work
- Administering Regular Temperature Checks:
- Personnel have their temperature measured twice daily
- Personnel exhibiting body temperatures higher than 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit on any reading are dismissed immediately to go home and seek medical care
- Practicing Social Distancing: Six‐feet minimal interpersonal distancing (including keeping a minimum distance of 6 feet from the chimps whenever possible) is required everywhere on the sanctuary for employees as well as vendors
- No Unnecessary Contact With Chimps:
- Only necessary contact with chimps is permitted (feeding, cleaning, medicating, enrichment, Kardia readings and training)
- Proper Attire & PPE Is Required:
- Clean footwear and dedicated clothing are required for all staff working in chimpanzee buildings
- Masks are required for all sanctuary personnel, including vendors who are onsite for more than a very brief delivery
- Face shields and N95 or KN95 masks are required PPE for personnel while they are inside chimp housing or working directly with a chimp as in the case of the veterinary staff
- Gloves Are Required: Gloves are required for handling chimpanzee medication, food and enrichment (including their bins and delivery containers), toys, bedding and providing medical care
- Increasing Cleaning: All common surfaces (surfaces touched by more than one person) sanctuary wide are sanitized at least twice daily
- Handwashing & Footbaths: Frequent handwashing is required–following the World Health Organization protocol–as is the use of footbaths located at entrances to chimp housing, food storage, the kitchen and the veterinary department
- Providing Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizer dispensers have been provided in every bathroom on campus
Feel free to reach out to us at comms@savethechimps.org if you have any questions.