COVID 19 Policy and Cleaning Procedures
As always, the safety of our guests is paramount. In our efforts to continue to provide great experiences in the safest environment we can provide we have developed the following guidelines for our guides and guests while they travel with Southern Utah Scenic Tours.
-Southern Utah Scenic Tours is following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently there are no CDC notices for travel in North America.
-We will monitor communications from health agencies in cities, states and regions we visit for updates, information, and recommendations.
Sanitation Procedures: We are continuing in our cleaning procedures that have been in place in the past with the addition of some new procedures.
Vehicles are given a thorough cleaning between tours including a full wipe-down of all surfaces using a CDC recommended disinfectant, in addition we will be shampooing all seats between multi-day tours, a CDC disinfectant will also be used to wipe down all hard and high touch areas at the end of each day.
During our tours, we’ll provide hand sanitizers at each seat location and will be ready to employ any additional CDC recommendations.
We have reduced the maximum number of guests to no more than 9 people to allow for the maximum separation within the vehicle.
For our guests, we recommend the following:
-Check your health insurance and/or travel insurance or cancellation protection plan to see if you are covered in case the situation arises that you need medical care.
-Follow the recommended health safety recommendations regarding handwashing and wipe surfaces while traveling as an extra precaution.
-Bring extra medication in case you are delayed returning home.
-If you are an international traveler, monitor the World Health Organization’s website and be aware of your own country’s precautions.
-Monitor your health and seek medical help if you experience symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu.
Southern Utah Scenic Tours will continue to follow the recommendations and instructions of the CDC and other U.S. governmental agencies. For more information about CDC recommendations, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. We place the health and welfare of our guests above all else. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us by phone at 888-404-8687 or email info@utahscenictours.com.
This guidance is to mitigate the transmission for COVID-19 and other seasonal diseases through exposure from the daily operation of our fleet vehicles and equipment. By employing regular cleaning and disinfecting practices to our fleet we can effectively minimize the transmission of these diseases while utilizing our vehicles and equipment.
Note: Wearing gloves will not stop transmission if you touch a potentially contaminated surface and then touch your face or other surface with the gloves on.
Procedure for cleaning vehicles during the trip, before, and after:
1. Clean commonly touched surfaces that are heavily soiled or dirty before and after operation and before disinfecting; wearing chemical gloves (i.e. nitrile gloves) is highly recommended.
2. Follow cleaning activities with an approved disinfectant; wearing chemical gloves (i.e., nitrile gloves) is highly recommended.
3. All commonly touched surfaces used in the vehicle should be cleaned and disinfected at the end of the day; common surfaces include but are not limited to:
A) Passenger grab handles
B) Tops of all seats
C) Entrance handrails
D) Arm Rests
E) All doors and handles
F) Driver & Passenger lights and air controls
G) Window ledges
H) Driver control knobs including air, steering wheel, shifter, etc
I) Ice Chests or Water Containers
Safety Measures During Tours:
The best way to protect ourselves is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The CDC always recommends simple everyday preventative steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory virus, including:
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
-Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
-Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice for an easy estimate.)
-If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol or more.
-Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue away. If no tissue is available cough or sneeze into your arm, not your hand.
In addition to the above:
-Hand sanitizer, tissues, masks, and disinfectant wipes are available in all vehicles for the use of the tour participants and guides
-Equipment & Luggage Handling. After loading and unloading passenger luggage, tour guide/driver will use hand sanitizer or wash hands prior to any other activity
-For social distancing measures, we recommend everyone stay 6ft away as much as possible. If 6 ft is not available during transportation, indoors, or while visiting areas in the parks IE Boardwalks, restrooms, viewpoints, etc. Southern Utah Scenic Tours recommends clients use masks or gators. We will make them available to all tour participants. Guides will try to maintain 6ft between themselves and guests while offering interpretation during hikes and at various viewpoints and overlooks. Guides will always encourage the group to not congregate at choke points and remain distanced. We will also try and visit areas that are less frequented during the tour.
-Cleaning any shared equipment: Binoculars, Spotting Scopes, Trekking Poles, etc. Guide will wipe down all items after each use by clients with CDC recommended cleaning supplies.
-Group Size: Southern Utah Scenic Tours operates tours in Mercedes Benz Sprinter Vans or other small vehicles. Per CDC recommendations we are operating tours at 10 participants or less including the guide. That will allow us as much distancing in the vehicle as possible.
-Food/Drinks: Southern Utah Scenic Tours doesn’t prepare food for clients. All meals are purchased from restaurants in location. Guide will encourage guests to use hand sanitizer or wash hands prior to every meal regardless if they are sack lunches or if they are in restaurants. Any meals will be encouraged to be consumed with social distancing measures in mind but without taking over picnic areas and impacting other guests.
-We will be taking temperatures every morning using a touches thermometer, to assure no-one is developing a fever. If a passenger or tour guide/driver starts showing symptoms of the flu, fever or COVID19 while on a multi-day tour the tour guide/driver will notify dispatch immediately. Action will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
We are monitoring the latest updates and most current information regarding the Coronavirus closely, while partnering with the local, state and federal resources to stay abreast of the most recent updates. Southern Utah Scenic Tours will listen to the CDC and adjust accordingly to their recommendations regarding the coronavirus. There may be some unavoidable lag between updated regulations and the online version of this policy. For questions please contact us at 888-404-8687.
For a printable version of this you can click HERE.