After being given the all-clear from the provincial government to reopen their doors on May 14, the Calgary Zoo and the Telus Spark Centre are asking for the public’s input on how to best to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two organizations have released surveys that ask residents a platform of questions, including safety measures people would like to see in place, distancing protocols and facility restrictions, upon reopening.
On Wednesday, the Calgary Zoo took to Twitter, asking residents to take an eight-question survey.
The questionnaire inquires about public interest in a virtual summer camp, how likely residents are to visit the zoo within the first 30 days of reopening and what safeguards people would want to see in place when they visit the facility during the ongoing pandemic.
The Telus Spark Centre also released a survey on Wednesday, asking for input on what measures would make residents more likely to visit the facility, including access to hand sanitizers, visiting time slots and knowing the organization’s cleaning procedures.
The President and CEO of the Spark Centre said this survey will help the organization better understand the needs of the public during the pandemic.
“The science centre is a notoriously hands-on environment,” Mary Anne Moser said. “We wondered if people would feel comfortable visiting such a hands-on place any time soon and, if so, under what conditions?”
Moser said that, so far, results from the survey have shown that members of the public share a common safety concern surrounding the reopening of the centre.
“People do not appear very keen right now to be going back into highly hands-on environments,” she said.
With those results in mind, Moser said the centre is looking at alternate ways that the facility can function amid the pandemic.
“We are looking at ways to open in museum-like ways, where there is no touching of the exhibit and ability to create pathway experiences with social distancing.”
The survey closes on Sunday.
Since the provincial government announced Alberta’s phased reopening plan, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has been very vocal about businesses being very cautious when considering reopening amid the pandemic.
During an update to the city on Tuesday, Nenshi noted that businesses must operate on their own timeline.
“The clock is ticking and we need to ensure that people have the guidance they need in order to do well,” he said.
“If you’re a business that doesn’t think you’ll be ready by May 14, then you don’t have to reopen on May 14.”
Nenshi also noted that guidance from the provincial government is needed to help create a successful reopening strategy for businesses in Calgary.
“We need to make sure that businesses are adequately prepared because the worst thing we could do is have people go through all of the costs of hiring and reopening and then closing down,” he said.
“It’s really important that the business community has clear messaging from the province, and they have strong guidance on best practices.”
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