Sacramento Zoo will reopen next week. Here are the coronavirus rules and restrictions
After three months of closure due to coronavirus, the Sacramento Zoo will reopen in a week, zoo officials announced Monday.
The June 15 reopening will involve restrictions and safety protocols to minimize the chances of large crowds grouped too closely together, zoo director Jason Jacobs said.
That includes timed admissions: Visitors will have to buy entrance tickets in advance, good for use on a given day and given arrival time. Tickets can be purchased online at saczoo.org starting this week. Only credit card transactions will be accepted.
The zoo will start out by allowing only 1,500 visitors per day, considerably short of peak day totals that sometimes hit 5,000 visitors.
Masks would be required for all staff and encouraged for visitors ages 2 and older.
The zoo will keep its reptile house closed and will put up signs with pictures of flamingos telling people to “stay in your own flock.” Near the alligator enclosure, signs will tell people to “stay one alligator distance from other groups.”
Jacobs said he believes the zoo will provide a valuable activity for families that need to get out of the house this summer. The zoo has added an ostrich, alligators and a female giraffe since its March closure.
“We’re just so thrilled to be able to reopen and we look forward to welcoming our guests back,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said the zoo, a nonprofit organization, relies on admission and membership revenue to operate and care for nearly 500 animals. Officials have asked the public to help support the nonprofit to help care for the animals by donating to the zoo’s emergency fund.
A few weeks into the shutdown, the Sacramento Zoo announced it would begin layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours for the majority of its more than 100 employees. The zoo laid off 52 people, 17 were furloughed and 28 had their hours reduced.
Sacramento said zoo representatives from Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Oakland, San Francisco and San Diego held a conference call with state officials two weeks ago discussing safety steps that would allow zoos to reopen.
The zoo closed on March 13 to slow the spread of coronavirus, which causes the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19. Only a limited number of essential staff, including animal care, veterinary teams and zoo security, continued to work at the zoo during its temporary closure.
Sacramento County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson, who initially approved reopening the zoo, said he is “very comfortable” with the zoo’s reopening plan.