Vizag zoo set to reopen for visitors with strict Covid guidelines

The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam is all set to reopen its gates for visitors. After remaining shut for nearly eight months, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the zoo in Vizag will be thrown open to the public once again from Tuesday, 17 November, Zoo Curator Nandini Salaria informed.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has issued permission for reopening of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, for visitors duly following the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOps) issued by the Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi, in view of prevailing COVID-19. The Vizag zoo will reopen as per the instructions issued by the Prl. Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF), Andhra Pradesh, Guntur and Conservator of Forests, Visakhapatnam the Curator said.

The visitors have been strongly advised to wear masks and follow physical distancing norms. Apart from checking for the presence of masks, visitors will also be thermally scanned and entry into the zoo will be permitted accordingly, once the gates of Vizag zoo are thrown open Tuesday. Visitors have the option of booking entry tickets online via www.vizagzoo.com, and given the current pandemic situation, the public has been advised to go for the same in order to reduce contact with the zoo staff. Visitors have also been notified that outside food, plastic, or crackers will not be allowed into the zoo premises. The Curator informed that those found guilty of violating the Covid safety norms will be slapped with fines.

On 20 March, given the rise in coronavirus cases, the authorities shut down the zoo in Vizag. While the zoo operated with a limited staff over the past eight months, the gates remained shut to the public.

Meanwhile, Vizag reported 25 new Covid-19 cases on Monday. With this, the total number of cases rose to 57,832 including 1402 active cases, 55,934 recoveries, and 496 deaths.