As with so many other aspects of life this past year, the coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on the travel industry. We have been working hard to reschedule programs that had to be postponed, so that our clients can, when conditions permit, still explore the destinations they wished to visit, and travel with the photographers from whom they wished to learn.

There are obviously still complications, uncertainties, and concerns related to travel and gatherings. Following guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other reputable public health officials, we are implementing supplemental health, safety and hygiene protocols for all programs to help minimize risk for our clients, instructors, and those around us. Every destination is different. We will be carefully evaluating each workshop or expedition individually to determine whether or not they should (and can) proceed with special safety protocols in place, what protocols are appropriate for that destination, and what protocols have been implemented by ground transportation, lodging, catering, guides and other service providers. We will provide more detailed information about COVID-19 protocols specific to each program to registered participants in advance, but until conditions improve, participants and staff can generally expect to:

• …be vaccinated if possible. If the person in question is eligible and has access to approved vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, they are expected to have completed a proper course of vaccination more than three weeks in advance of the relevant workshop or trip, unless advised against doing so by their doctor (such as due to allergies or other medical contraindication).
• …respond to a brief health questionnaire within 48 hours prior to the workshop.
• …wear masks at all times when with the group in an indoor setting, and when within ten feet of other participants or other people we encounter during the workshop while outdoors.
• …maintain at least a six foot distance from other people throughout the workshop.
• …measure their body temperature daily.
• …wash hands regularly with soap and warm water, bring hand sanitizer and have it available at all times. 
• …at workshops in the United States, participants are asked to self-drive to field locations during the workshop. Only participants traveling to the workshop together may share a common vehicle.
• …self-monitor their health, and notify Visionary Wild staff if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, a body temperature above 100.4ºF, or if they learn that they or a member of their household has been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case up to 14 days prior to the workshop. Under these circumstances, the person in question will remove themselves from the workshop group. Workshop fees will not be refundable if a participant has to exit the workshop for any reason.

We ask that all participants follow the CDC guidelines on protecting yourself and others as well as any state or local guidance in advance of the workshop. If a participant or members of his or her household are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has experienced symptoms of or been diagnosed with COVID-19, she or he will be asked not to attend the workshop.