CAS Response to COVID-19 Level 2 – Committee Update

[Simon Lewis]

As we move to COVID-19 Level 2 we thought we would give you a short update on our COVID response actions.

The CAS COVID Response sub-committee has been constantly reviewing the restrictions placed on organisations over the past weeks and assessing how the new rules impact observatory operations.

We are currently awaiting clear guidelines as to the change in restrictions under Level 2, once we have received and assessed these we will make a further announcement on CAS operations and plans for the next months.

We know you are as anxious as we are to get back into operation and we will provide an update as soon as we possibly can.

 

Kind regards

Your CAS Committee

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

 

Can you please confirm to readers that the Observatory is still closed to use by the members as well.  Thanks

 

Trace

[Dale Kershaw]

This post is in the members only forum, so My answer would be,  Yes it is still closed,

Cheers

Dale

[Anonymous]

Thank you.

To clarify I was looking for an update of the assessment mentioned by Simon in the above notice.  Especially since we are now at level 2 and up to 10 people were allowed at gatherings at the time of the question was posted and now up to 100 are allowed.  I have had others ask me and are asking for them as well.

it is my understanding that a sub-committee has been set up on this subject.  I was simply requesting their conclusions.

Kind regards

Tracey

[Terry Richardson]

There have been questions about level 2 which the Covid Subcommittee have tried to meet and address.

Although some groups of 100 are allowed, this is with strict criteria regarding health safety measures including 1 or 2 meter spacing.

Currently the observatory may be attended on an ad hoc basis. Since visitors to the observatory have no idea how safety conscious the previous person was, how many may turn up on a night, and since the observatory cannot be guaranteed to be disinfected between each visit, safety cannot be guaranteed. This includes door handles, keys, close contact with eyepieces etc.

Currently we have washing facilities (cold water with hand soap and disposable paper towels), there is hand sanitiser available, gloves are available, and there is Isopropyl alcohol to clean the telescopes, There will be a protocol at the observatory on the use of these items.

However CAS cannot guarantee safety for the above reasons.

Therefore we are continuing precautions as outlined by the header of this post written by Simon which is up for review with impending level 1 conditions.

Users of the observatory may do so at their own risk.

This will be reviewed closer to level 1 condition.

Cheers

Terry

[Carol McAlavey]

Thanks Terry for very good instructions for the members on how to clean and sanitise the observatory and all its equipment. I for one am glad that we are not having any public nights out there for the coming months as it would be a nightmare to try and keep people apart in the dark. We have no way of testing if anyone has any signs or symptoms of Covid-19 virus and as had been noticed, sometimes some people are asymptomatic and could easily pass it on to others. Once our country has passed through all the levels and there is no more cases then we could look at the situation again. The sub-committee is doing a great job in making sure the members are kept safe from any germs. I, for one, am looking forward to further updates from them.

(In case any member/s head off out to the observatory could they please NOT touch the two black and green kitchen chairs that are out there. They belong to me and Terry has been very kind to repair them for me but I ran out of time to go and pick them up before lockdown. I am waiting for a suitable time that I can safely go and get them. Thanks, Carol).

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