STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR COVID-19
These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been designed to comply with the instructions issued by
the Tanzanian Government and the World Health Organization, while the company carries out its day-to-day operations as a provider of safari and other trips. The objective of these SOPs is to allow African Maharagwe
safaris guests and staff to enjoy maximum protection during the time of the COVID-19 period, while also helping Tanzania to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the country. African Maharagwe safaris acknowledges that it has a duty to communicate the applicable Tanzanian regulations to its booking agencies, and to remind both its staff and guests of all relevant protective and preventative practices.
1. Designated COVID-19 Liaison Officer:
African Maharagwe safaris will appoint a COVID-19 Liaison Officer, based at the company’s Head Office. This
designated person will be the point of contact with the relevant Tanzanian Government Ministry. In addition,
this officer will have the following responsibilities
2. Client’s Medical Declaration Form:
All guests will be required by African Maharagwe Safaris to complete a compulsory Medical Declaration Form.
A form must be completed for each individual Client and this will be sent to each Client by our Health and
Safety Department, one month prior to the guest’s arrival in Tanzania. The form will be completed and signed
and will include the following information for each Client: Name, Nationality and ID or passport number, Proof
of travel insurance, with policy number and details of insurer (including contact details)Name and contact
details of next of kin or friend who is not traveling with you to Tanzania Details of client’s travel history (other
than the current trip) within the month prior to arrival in Tanzania, Details of current trip (prior to start of African
Maharagwe Safaris trip and any subsequent destinations) for the purposes of track and tracing, it should become necessary, Description of Client’s general health, including any current medication, and any chronic or other medical conditions, Description of Client’s general fitness level, including ‘smoker status’ past and present, Details of any physical disability or restrictions, Any symptoms, either indicative of COVID-19 or other condition, in the 30 days prior to arrival in Tanzania, Any history of COVID-19, or its symptoms, at any time prior to current trip, A sign-off by the guest in respect of their COVID-19 disclosure.
3. Temperature Monitoring of Clients and Staff:
Temperatures of all Clients will be taken on arrival, at the start of their African Maharagwe Safaris trip.
(Depending on the method and place of arrival, this might be at the airport, or hotel, or other
appropriate location.) Temperatures of Client will then be taken each day after breakfast, for the
duration of the Client’s stay, by the driver-guide. On each occasion, a non-contact thermometer will be
used and the temperature will be recorded. Any temperature of 37.5 C or above requires action. For
staff, temperatures will be taken each time they begin a shift or finish a shift: a non-contact
thermometer will be used and all temperatures will be recorded.
In the event that a Client or staff member registers a temperature of 37.5 C or above, the procedures
described in section 9, below, must be followed immediately.
4. Staff Training:
African Maharagwe Safaris is committed for providing comprehensive training for all its staff in respect of
COVID-19, its effects and the measures necessary to detect it, prevent its spread and deal with it whenever it
arises. African Maharagwe Safaris is also committed to provide further training, as and when necessary, as the
COVID-19 situation develops and evolves. Additional, specific training may be required for certain staff
depending on the type of work they perform or the locations in which they work, but the following general areas of COVID-19 training are appropriate to all African Maharagwe Safaris staff: how the virus is spread and how to minimize the risks of it doing so how long it can survive on various surface show to identify its symptom show to operate safely in the workplace how and when to correctly use PPE how and when to wash hands and sanitize (see section 6, below)physical distancing to protect guests and co-worker show to change into and out of uniform, show to be aware of the importance of temperature testing.
5. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):
Clients must wear a mask at all times, with the following exceptions: when in their own bedroom at their
accommodation when eating and drinking, African Maharagwe Safaris will carry a stock of spare masks
to provide to Clients whether don’t have their own. Each Client will be given three approved cloth masks per trip, free of charge. Additional masks can be purchased by Clients, if required. Masks of the disposable variety must be properly disposed of in biohazard containers. They must be replaced after each meal.
Staff must wear masks at all times, except when eating and drinking. African Maharagwe Safaris will be
responsible for providing an adequate supply of masks, either of the disposable variety or approved
cloth masks, with a minimum of three cloth masks (if used) for each staff member. This allows the staff
member to wear a mask, have another mask being laundered and the third one as a spare one ready
for the following working day. For certain specific tasks, gloves may be required: separate advice will
be provided on this. The disposal of all PPE must be carried out in compliance with all relevant
Tanzanian Health and Safety regulations.
6. Sanitizing & Hygiene Practices:
Proper frequent handwashing and sanitizing, together with the thorough and regular/frequent sanitizing
of surfaces, are hugely important in preventing the spread of COVID-19. This applies both to Clients
and staff. Staff members who use surfaces such as desks, computers, counters etc, are responsible for
sanitizing these every 15 minutes, or each time after their use by another person.
6.1. Hands.
Clients will be required to sanitize their hands on arrival at any establishment – such as
accommodation – or on boarding any vehicle. African Maharagwe Safaris will be responsible for
providing appropriate sanitizer for clients at all its locations and vehicles. Individual bottles of sanitizer
will be provided to each client and should be used after they have handled any surface or handled
cash, luggage, food and drink.
6.2. Luggage.
Staff handling luggage should sanitize their hands immediately before and after doing so.
6.3. Handling cash.
Wherever possible, Clients should make payments without using cash. If this is unavoidable, then any
client or staff member handling cash should sanitize their hands immediately afterwards.
6.4. Minimizing contact with surfaces.
Wherever possible, objects which are non-essential should be removed from locations and vehicles to
minimize contact by clients and staff. Examples of these might be magazines, books, newspapers,
games and ‘softs’ such as cushions, rugs, blankets etc. Where these are then provided on request by
clients, they should be sanitized both before and after use by the client.
7. Physical Distancing & Capacity controls:
Physical Distancing measures play a vital part in helping to prevent the spread of COVID- 19. African
Maharagwe Safaris strives to keep a distance of 1.5 meters between persons in public and back of house
areas, though 2 meters is preferable. For Clients, this minimum distance should be maintained in all
arrival and departure areas, at picnic sites, park entrances, game drives, shops, viewpoints and at
attractions such as the Olduvai Gorge museum. Staff should also maintain the recommended distance at
these places, but also in the African Maharagwe Safaris Head Office, vehicle workshop and other work
areas. With respect to safari vehicles, family groups or small groups of friends travelling together can
share one vehicle. Staff must be vigilant at areas where crowds may gather such as visitor attractions like;
viewpoints, village tours or restaurants and ensure that a build-up of people in an enclosed space does
not threaten the requirements of physical distancing measures. It may be necessary on occasion to
temporarily restrict access of clients to such places to achieve this.
8. Vehicle Cleaning:
Special attention must be paid to safari vehicles, as clients spend much time in close contact with each other
and the vehicles contain many surfaces with which both clients and staff come into close contact. The following
procedures should be followed: Any unnecessary objects should be removed from the vehicles, to lessen the
number of surfaces with which Clients and staff might make contact. (Examples might be books, magazines,
games etc), Hand sanitizer should be available at all times for guests to use frequently when returning to the
vehicle after meal stops, visits to viewpoints, visitor attractions etc, Each client should be provided with their
own water bottle, binoculars, pen and paper, snacks etc for their exclusive use. (Sharing should be avoided)
Each vehicle should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every evening, paying particular attention to door
handles and other high-contact areas, No access should be allowed to the vehicles by unauthorized personnel
(eg, airport porters, hotel or camp staff) Any hotel or camp staff helping with the guests’ luggage should use
sanitizer before handling it (this should always be observed by the African Maharagwe tours & safaris driver) At
the end of each safari trip, each vehicle should be deep-cleaned, by African Maharagwe Safaris staff wearing
appropriate PPE. Any removable items should be removed from the vehicle, cleaned and then put back.
9. Office Staff:
In general, the requirements of this Standard Operating Procedure will apply to office-based staff. Wherever it is
practicable, office-based staff will be encouraged to work at home. African Maharagwe safaris will put measures in
place within the office to limit the number of staff working in the office at any time, through staff rotations which stagger the staff shifts. Physical distancing measures will also be put in place to separate staff, with Perspex screens installed wherever possible between workstations. Desks, phones, computers, headsets and other equipment will be dedicated to each individual, with no sharing or hot-desking. Any superfluous surfaces should be taped off or removed, to minimize contact. All surfaces will be regularly sanitized. Staff will be encouraged to sanitize their hands frequently throughout the day and sanitizer will be provided by African Maharagwe Safaris to enable this. The office will be ventilated as much as possible, either by open windows or air- conditioning.
10. Clients or Staff Who Display COVID-19 Symptoms:
For the areas in which African Maharagwe Safaris operates, contact details of designated approved
hospitals, medical clinics, mobile clinics, doctors, testing centers and pharmacies in Tanzania for the
testing and treatment of COVID-19 should be clearly displayed in all locations and vehicles operated by
African Maharagwe Safaris. All staff should be made aware of these during their training. Also as part of
their training, all African Maharagwe Safaris staff should be made familiar with basic procedures to follow
in the event of a client or colleague displaying COVID-19 symptoms. However, the COVID-19 Liaison
Officer should be designated at all times to be responsible for coordinating and managing African
Maharagwe Safaris response to any client or staff member who displays symptoms or registers a high
temperature, or indeed a positive test result. A test should be carried out without delay for any guest or
staff member exhibiting symptoms. This then allows the African Maharagwe tours & safaris operation to
continue safely as soon as possible.
10.1 Client displaying symptoms on arrival, but before pick-up/check in:
Any client displaying symptoms on arrival should be requested to return home and follow their own
country’s advice when they do so. If symptoms on arrival are severe, however, a doctor should be consulted without delay.
African Maharagwe Safaris will assist in facilitating the client’s return home. In the event that a return
home is not possible, the guest must be isolated in a COVID-19 isolation unit or designated COVID-19
hotel room. Any vehicle used in the transport of any such client must be thoroughly deep-cleaned after
use.
10.2 Monitoring of clients with symptoms:
The client will not be allowed to leave the room, and meals will be served in the room. In the vent that the
client’s symptoms are severe, get worse or last for more than a day, a doctor should be consulted.
Depending on the doctor’s assessment, the client will either be sent for a COVID-19 test, recommended
to continue the period of isolation, or sent to be admitted to a hospital. Any vehicle in which the client has
travelled must be deep-cleaned and decontaminated. If African Maharagwe Safaris is notified through tracing that a past client has subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, then vehicles or other areas used by that client must be decontaminated. Any vehicle which has been used to transport a client who has shown symptoms or been confirmed as having had COVID-19 can, if possible, be left unused for between 5 and 7 days before being deep-cleaned and decontaminated. The vehicle should not be accessed by anyone during that period.
All waste materials which have been used in taking care of, serving (with drinks, meals etc) or cleaning
areas used by those who have shown symptoms must be disposed of in biohazard disposal bags or
containers. These must also be used for the disposal of all PPE used by either staff or clients. Any staff
or fellow travelers who have been in contact with any client who has tested positive for COVID-19 must
themselves self-isolate for 14 days either at home or in a designated establishment. The required
procedure for dealing with any client displaying COVID-19 symptoms can be shown as follows:
10.3 Dealing with Staff in the COVID-19 Era:
All staff should be tested both for COVID-19 and antibodies before they return to work, if possible. Any
staff member testing positive must self-isolate for 14 days before they can return to work (see diagram, below). This self-isolation should take place at home. The COVID-19 Liaison Officer should monitor the progress of the staff member who is self- isolating, on a regular basis.
The COVID-19 Liaison Officer, or senior person on duty is responsible for dealing with any staff member displaying symptoms. No staff member displaying symptoms will be allowed to start a shift, and ideally should not be allowed to enter the workplace. The diagram below demonstrates the process for dealing with staff members displaying symptoms. Where testing is available, this should be carried out.
If any staff member tests positive, all staff who have been on the same shift as that staff member must self-isolate for 14 days. If testing is widely available, then all staff should ideally be tested. Any staff who test negative, or who have successfully self-isolated for 14 days, may return to work.
The African Maharagwe tours & safaris COVID-19 Liaison Officer must carry out an investigation into the compliance and procedures, to identify whether these have in any way been deficient in respect of the returning employee’s working environment. This investigation must be documented, and any recommendations must be acted upon without delay. The required procedure for dealing with any staff displaying COVID-19 symptoms can be shown as follows:
11. Safari Vehicles:
Certain procedures and practices apply specifically to any vehicles used by African Maharagwe Safaris, whether for safari trips or for transfers to or from airports or for example, trips to or from Mount Kilimanjaro. These procedures and practices are in addition to the general ones specified elsewhere in this document: please pay particular attention to Section 7, Vehicle Cleaning.
All vehicles must be fully sanitized before each trip, to include seats, handles, door locks, windows, floor, roof, sockets, seat belts and headrests. Additionally, in-vehicle equipment such as binoculars, guidebooks, dining utensils etc. should also be sanitized.
Throughout the duration of the trip, door handles and other frequently touched surfaces should be regularly and frequently wiped throughout the day.
Only the African Maharagwe Safaris driver-guide is authorized to sanitize the vehicle and this must be done before use and every time the vehicle returns to the lodge or camp. Traveling with open windows, where this is safe, is to be encouraged.
While at the airport or airstrip, our driver guides will wear a face mask and gloves, disposing of the gloves when entering the vehicle. They will also require client’s permission before assisting with their luggage.
Clients should be each issued with their own binoculars and drinking vessels and these should not be shared. Client should be encouraged to enter and exit vehicles one at a time, avoiding contact with seat backs, headrests etc. Disposable headrest covers should be replaced after each trip.
Driver-guides should avoid turning and shouting in the directions of clients.
12. Mountain Climbing Operators:
The following procedures apply to African Maharagwe Safaris climbing trips, in addition to the general
SOPs where appropriate. All mountain climbing equipment must be sanitized or disinfected before the
climb begins. All mountain crew members must wash their hands using running water and soap, or
hand sanitizers, before climbing. Approved disinfectants must be used to clean all equipment and food
packing materials all fresh food should be cleaned and packed under hygienic conditions. All mountain
crew should maintain a distance of at least 1 meter between themselves and their clients all mountain
crew should be temperature-screened before entering any National Park. Where temperature exceeds
normal body temperature (37.5 C) they must seek medical advice weighing scales should be frequently
disinfected with approved disinfectant to prevent contaminations all mountain crew should ensure that
toilet bowls and basins are cleaned regularly with approved disinfectant solutions. Where applicable,
paper towels and sanitary bins for safe disposal shall be made available for clients and staff.