The Cape May County Zoo is taking additional steps to provide safety precautions for its visitors, staff and animals.
Capacity is going to be placed at 20 percent and all visitors over the age of 2 are required to wear a mask to follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines. These changes took effect Friday.
The new protocols will allow visitors who are in the zoo a safer experience, while further promoting social distancing, according to a press release.
The Cape May County Health Department has partnered with the Cape May County Zoo and had the Social Distancing Ambassadors make appearances at the zoo to promote proper safety protocols. The ambassadors will continue to make appearances at the zoo throughout the summer.
“As we have learned during this time period you can never be too careful,” Freeholder E. Marie Hayes, liaison to the zoo, said in the release. “As Cape May County reopens ‘Safely Together,’ we need to constantly look at our protocols and procedures and make changes that are deemed necessary.”
This decision follows a request from the Cape May County Freeholder Board, all Cape May County mayors, and the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to request mask usage in public places. The request was made to both keep residents and visitors safe, and to ensure the economy can stay open.
“New Jersey’s overall case numbers have been on a downward trend,” said Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton. “We want to keep it that way and I applaud the zoo staff for the hard work they have put in to ensure that our visitors remain safe, while visiting one of the best attractions in the United States.”
A one-way directional flow had already been set up throughout the zoo to reduce the amount of interactions between guests where possible. Also, the Aviary and Reptile House continue to remain closed at this time.
