SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY COVID-19 POLICY
Ensuring Adoption of Best Safety Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Update March 2022
Effective March 1, 2022, both the States of California (SLC US Headquarters) and Illinois (satellite office) have lifted their mask requirements except where Federally mandated and in high-risk settings such as healthcare facilities and in public schools (California ending 3/11). We continue to wear masks, however, while working in the office, observing appropriate hygiene measures, as recommended by the CDC and are still conducting most meetings with staff and partners virtually. Travel into the field for our office staff will resume April of 2022.
Update April 2021
Sonoma County is in the process of easing its Covid-19 restriction status, and while working at home is still being encouraged, we are now also able to work in the office where merited or needed in the interests of ensuring time-efficient discussions, planning and decision-making.
Effective May 2020
The Snow Leopard Conservancy will in accordance with all state and federal governmental regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure the health and safety of our employees is maintained as the highest priority of our organization. Since mid-March, SLC employees have been working remotely from their homes while Sheltering-In-Place (SIP) using phone, email, and video conferencing for all communications. Visits to the SLC office for administrative tasks have been limited to essential tasks only every two days, and coordinated following all Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regulations using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), handwashing, social (physical distancing) and disinfecting (detailed below). Given the dynamic and rapidly evolving situation, staff should refer any questions, comments, concerns and input to the director immediately, along with consulting the detailed instructions below.
All Staff are presently restricted from traveling nationally or internationally. SLC expects all staff and partners to:
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Implement important recommended measures to minimize infections and transmission of this aggressive coronavirus (wear facemasks, maintain social or physical distance of 6 feet or 2 meters from other persons when outside of the home, wash hands often & vigorously with soap, use hand sanitizer as needed).
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Monitor for symptoms, stay at home (self-quarantine), and if you feel sick, seek medical attention as needed.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness, too often leading to death. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, and there is evidence that infected persons still asymptomatic may transmit the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
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Cough
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Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
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Fever
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Chills
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Muscle pain
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Sore throat
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Loss of taste or smell
This list does not include all possible symptoms. Less common symptoms, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, have been reported.
When to Seek Emergency Medical Attention: Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately
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Trouble breathing
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Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
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New confusion
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Inability to wake or stay awake
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Bluish lips or face
Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
SLC will continue to monitor federal, state, and local public health communications about COVID-19 regulations, guidance, and recommendations and ensure that workers have access to that information.
When regulatory agencies permit non-essential services like SLC to re-open office operations, we will conduct a risk assessment and adopt procedures to avoid or minimize potential for COVID-19 transmission and infection. These will follow recommended procedures to the degree feasible and realistic, given resources available to SLC. Special emphasis will be devoted to maintaining a clean work place. In order to continue maintaining sufficient social distance, we may also adopt staggered working hours, and continue holding our weekly staff meeting via Zoom, at least into the foreseeable future.
Currently, most of our partners are also sheltering in place, following guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as those put in place by their respective governments, local authorities and communities. Mongolia has, by far, the world’s best record for controlling the coronavirus pandemic along with South Korea. Other countries, like the USA, currently have limited or very limited supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and virus testing and contact tracing is poor. Most of Nepal’s infections are from the lower elevation regions, along the border with India, suggesting infection from returning migratory workers. This has led local communities in remote mountain areas place like Nar-Phu and Upper Mustang (Nepal) are requesting all returning residents to wear masks and to self-quarantine for 14 days. Researchers have suggested that people living at high elevation are better adapted to coping with COVID-19 issues related to hypoxia. (See link below)
SLC is supporting partners in the following countries: China, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan.
