Spiritual Orkney
CONTACT US
Helen & Mark Woodsford-Dean
Craigielea, Harray, Orkney, Scotland, KW17 2JU
+44(0)7749 934617 (mob) / +44(0)1856 761133


Please email or text prior to telephoning, thanks
COVID 19
Covid-19 Risk Management Advice
The COVID-19 situation in Orkney is improving but on-going, so all our services are constantly being reviewed and assessed for safety (yours and ours) in line with current advice as issued by the Scottish Government (which may differ from English policy, tending to be stricter and safer) and is issued as part of a range of Scottish Tourism Industry sector protocols. Our priority is your and our safety. Orkney is re-opening to visitors but not all sites are accessible or fully open; please be aware that some sites now need to pre-booked where previously visitors could just turn up. 
This was the advice issued by the Scottish Tourist Guides Association (STGA) Board of Directors in June 2020; Spiritual Orkney will comply and update as required. This advice is based on current Scottish Government policy and is issued as part of a range of Scottish Tourism Industry sector protocols. 

Please note that our insurance (via STGA) is dependent on customers being fully briefed on safety protocols at all times. Guide training and assessment includes the use of safety warnings and ensures guides are covered by insurance. 

As part of our professional training, all STGA guides are expert in effective and sensitive group management techniques, on walking tours, in visitor attractions, visitor sites and museums. In addition, the STGA has created safety guidance for tourist guiding.

STGA guides are abiding by this guidance, in addition to any specific guidance at attractions, sites, and museums, during the Covid-19 crisis.

1. STGA Guides will all be identified by the badge they wear which includes the STGA logo at the heading of this notice. It also has the name of the guide on it. The badge may have a blue, green or yellow background.

2. Guides will ensure they are familiar with the most up-to-date public health guidelines and will adhere to these for the duration of the tour. They will give advanced notice before the tour begins of how to be safe on the tour, enjoy the tour, and have fun while maintaining Scottish Government public health advice.

3. Guides will maintain government-recommended social distancing between themselves and clients at all times. On tours where the group includes different households, guides will encourage and help clients to adopt appropriate social distancing between each other too.

4. When guiding groups from different households, guides will follow government guidance to determine the maximum possible group size.

5. Guides will avoid shaking hands or any other physical contact with clients.
 
6. Guides will apply rigorous hygiene practices, including thoroughly cleaning and waiting for hands to dry before guiding, and use a personal hand sanitiser when this is not possible.

7. Guides will wear a mask or visor according to Scottish Government recommendations and will comply with the protocols of any agents and coach companies they work with.

8. STGA guides will know where public toilets / hand-washing facilities / hand sanitiser points are available.

9. Remote audio devices (such as Whisper, Vox and various apps) can be effective for social distancing on guided tours. Guides will happily work with tour companies using these systems.

10. STGA guides are experts in the tourist sites they visit with clients. Guides will ensure they are fully aware of sites' specific Covid-19 requirements and comply with them.
 
11. STGA guides will be familiar with more crowded areas and will make best efforts to negotiate them, or if appropriate, avoid them.
 
12. STGA guides will liaise with coach companies, private vehicle companies, vehicle hire companies, and drivers, to check that vehicles have been thoroughly sanitised.

Our personal approach to safety whilst guiding during these times will be to focus on offering walking tours wherever possible. Where wholly walking tours are not appropriate, we may opt to travel in a separate vehicle to you and ask you to follow our vehicle between sites, or we will travel as a passenger with you but request your vehicle to be fully ventilated with windows open. We aim to provide the majority of our guiding outside, in well-ventilated spaces, maintaining a minimum distance of 1 metre. 

In addition, for life rituals, we will minimise physical contact with our guests.

No open rituals have yet been planned for 2022 or 2023 but we will update with any new information.
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