Visitation pods set up at personal care homes across Manitoba during the COVID-19 pandemic will get a second life, the province says.
The Manitoba government is donating the shipping containers — which were retrofitted to make space for visiting during the pandemic — to various organizations and First Nations communities.
According to a press release, the 104 shelters will be repurposed for housing, office space, storage, animal care and recreation across 27 groups.
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy will receive the biggest share – 17 pods – and use them to address “ongoing infrastructure challenges” and “accelerate the modernization of the zoo as we strive to meet the ever-rising standards for animal care and welfare,” said Dr. Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations at the conservancy.
The recipients are responsible for covering the cost of transporting the pods to their new locations while the province will take care of disconnecting them and rehabilitating their original sites.