After 7 months, zoo to reopen on October 6

The Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) is all set to re-open from October 6, seven months after it was closed down due to the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the run up to its reopening, zoo authorities on Saturday said strict Covid19 protocols will be in place and encouraged visitors to book their tickets online on the zoo website www.nehruzoopark.in beginning October 6.

NZP officials said that while most of the zoo would be open to visitors, closed exhibits, such as the nocturnal animal house, aquarium, fossil museum, and the natural history museum, will continue to be closed until further notice.

All visitors will have to wear face masks and undergo mandatory thermal screening. Anyone exhibiting fever or symptoms of cold will not be allowed into the zoo. Also, every visitor will have to step through a disinfectant section at the entrance.

Physical distancing will be enforced, the zoo authorities said, both at the ticket counters and elsewhere. While people can bring their own picnic lunches, they can enjoy their meals or snacks at specific areas designated as eating places.

All public utilities such as drinking water points, toilets and ticket booking counters will be sanitised twice a day, zoo officials said. While visitors aged under 10 years and over 65 years have been advised not to visit the zoo as part of the standard Covid-19 safety protocols, battery-operated vehicles, popular with the elderly and children, will run at only 50 per cent of their normal occupancy.

However, a family can either book an entire vehicle on an exclusive basis or a family can occupy all the seats. Guesthouse booking is not allowed.

Visitors have been advised against touching barricades and other surfaces to minimise the chances of spread and contamination and move along designated pathways only.

Spitting in the zoo’s premises is strictly prohibited and is punishable with a fine of `1,000 in accordance with Section 484 of GHMC Act. 1955, zoo authorities said.