COVID-19 Update - June 2020
This update is subject to (ever) changing guidelines and is working on the assumption that European borders will open at the end of June, subject to restrictions.
This being the case, and cognisant that we must learn to live with Covid-19 as we open up society and the economy, we will open our volunteers programme on a limited basis. Whilst we realise that the risk of Covid-19 is not so great with our young volunteers we are critically aware that we operate within a rural mountain village in which there are many older people living within the community. We will not allow volunteers to bring Covid-19 into the village! (we have just had to send some volunteers home including two German students who threatened to sue us for breaching their human rights because of social distancing rules. We will not tolerate this kind of degenerate behaviour)
Rules – Summer/Autumn 2020:
The above being said, much of our programme is still open subject to common sense and the above rules:
- Whale watching boats
- Animal rescue centre
- Activities- surfing, wind surfing, kayaking, paragliding, horse riding
- Beaches
- Trekking
- Cultural trips around the island
- Communal activities- BBQs etc
The AWdF volunteer programme of 2020 will be great fun and very worthwhile albeit with less people. We want our volunteers to enjoy the experience but we want to keep them safe and as importantly we want to keep the communities where we work safe as well.
Volunteering is first and foremost an act of social responsibility!!
This being the case, and cognisant that we must learn to live with Covid-19 as we open up society and the economy, we will open our volunteers programme on a limited basis. Whilst we realise that the risk of Covid-19 is not so great with our young volunteers we are critically aware that we operate within a rural mountain village in which there are many older people living within the community. We will not allow volunteers to bring Covid-19 into the village! (we have just had to send some volunteers home including two German students who threatened to sue us for breaching their human rights because of social distancing rules. We will not tolerate this kind of degenerate behaviour)
Rules – Summer/Autumn 2020:
- All volunteers before arrival will have to declare that they have not shown any symptoms of Covid-19 (cough, fever, loss of taste or small) in the last two weeks and have not been exposed to people who have shown symptoms in the same period.
- On arrival we will need this confirming and we will take each arriving volunteers temperature.
- Accommodation. Our rooms are multi-bedded with six beds in each room. Social distancing would be impossible so we are restricting bedrooms to two people maximum for the first two weeks of any stay with us. We will make an exception to this rule where people come in a group, a ‘bubble’, of friends in which case they can share a multi bedded room whilst maintaining social distancing from our community for the first two weeks of their stay.
- We will also have a small number of 1/2 person tents available on site. This will give us a capacity of 10-15 volunteers in July and August.
- We will supply face masks and hand sanitising equipment including personal bottles and expect volunteers to respect social distancing rules and personal hygiene at all times, both on site, when on activities, when working and when socialising.
- Going to night clubs, bars at night will not be allowed.
- Anyone breaking these rules will be removed from the project immediately. We will drop them down to an airport hotel for the night and let them sort themselves out at their own cost. There will be no refunds in this situation.
- In our transport, new arrivals will have to wear face masks for the first two weeks of our stay as they will in any public space where social distancing is not possible.
- Anyone coming down with symptoms will have to socially isolate in designated spaces we have made available for this purpose.
The above being said, much of our programme is still open subject to common sense and the above rules:
- Whale watching boats
- Animal rescue centre
- Activities- surfing, wind surfing, kayaking, paragliding, horse riding
- Beaches
- Trekking
- Cultural trips around the island
- Communal activities- BBQs etc
The AWdF volunteer programme of 2020 will be great fun and very worthwhile albeit with less people. We want our volunteers to enjoy the experience but we want to keep them safe and as importantly we want to keep the communities where we work safe as well.
Volunteering is first and foremost an act of social responsibility!!
Ed Bentham
Chairman/Trustee of the AWdF
Chairman/Trustee of the AWdF