Protocols
-
For Guides
Guides will when possible wear face masks during auto and air taxi travel if we have reason to suspect we have a covid case in the group.
We will ensure, whenever we have reason to expect contaminant, that Expeditions Alaska vehicles are cleaned and decontaminated using 70% alcohol in a spray bottle prior to each new trip. Seats, door handles and luggage areas, seatbelts and other areas that are frequently touched during trips.
We will keep hand sanitizer in the vehicle and when possible require all occupants to use it.
Guests testing positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of trip departure will not be allowed to participate in the trip.
Where possible, we ask all trip participants to get tested prior to travel.
Double our standard sanitation for gear and food prep and cleaning before/after trips. All company gear is disinfected between trips.
-
Backcountry Travel
Backcountry Social distancing will be required on trips in all appropriate circumstances, particularly during meals and camp time. This would primarily be if someone showed symptoms of COVID-19.
The exception here will be wildlife situations, where the standard practice of being a tight-knit group to reduce the impact on the wildlife and to maintain our safety is primary.
Masks and other Personal Protection Equipment are not required for hiking and packrafting and kayaking outings. There will be situations during the trip where such things are advisable and the guide may mandate those as necessary.
Dedicated hand wash stations will be utilized in each basecamp trip campsite.
If guests and /or guides in the field present symptoms consistent with COVID-19 we will enhance social distance and enforce “backcountry quarantine”.
If guests and/or guides in the field present symptoms consistent with COVID-19 we will monitor the patient and arrange extraction from the backcountry as needed. There is no catch-all process for this, and each case will be handled on configured uniquely. Context and the circumstances will require a unique response every time. Expeditions Alaska will coordinate with each group to help arrange the most expedient and safe solution according to the situation.
Expeditions Alaska and rescue services will do our best to limit exposure during any backcountry extraction.
Extraction and rescue services for your medical ailment are not covered by EA.
-
For Clients
Expeditions Alaska strongly encourages all non-vaccinated travelers to be tested for COVID-19 before they arrive (or test when they enter the state) and register with the You can obtain a free COVID-19 test and (effective June 1, 2021) get vaccinated upon arrival in Alaska at Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan airports.
While it is not required, being fully vaccinated provides a level of security and peace of mind for all. Offering a safe experience is the top priority for Alaska tour companies. If you are not fully vaccinated, consider taking a pre-travel Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure.
We ask that each and every guest arrive for our trip in good health. Anyone exhibiting symptoms consistent for COVID-19 is asked to disclose this to Expeditions Alaska at the soonest relevant opportunity.
Extractions from the backcountry are challenging under any circumstances, and during the current pandemic crises, exponentially more so.
Every guest is required to disclose to Expeditions Alaska and your guide if you have had a known exposure in the 2 weeks prior to your trip to a person or persons who have either tested positive or presented with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
Ideally, we’d like you to have been tested as recently as possible prior to your trip. We’d also ask you to please take the opportunity to get your vaccine shot (if possible) in time for your trip.
All guests are required to arrive for their trip with personal hand sanitizer, sanitary wipes and face masks for the travel periods of our trip.
Guests should be familiar with the latest CDC and State of Alaska guidelines/mandates pertaining to COVID-19 and your trip.
-
General Guidelines
Monitor ourselves for fever (feeling feverish or a measured temperature of 100.4 F [38 C] or higher), cough, or shortness of breath.
Guides and guests should stay home and not report for trips if they meet any of the following conditions:
Develop fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if mild;
Test positive for COVID-19, even if no symptoms are present; or
Are exposed, as defined below, to a sick person with fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if the person has not been tested for COVID-19.
Exposures of concern include:
i) A sick household member or intimate partner;
ii) Taking care of a sick person without using personal protective equipment (PPE); or
iii) Being within 6 feet (2 meters) of a sick person (including co-workers and passengers) for a prolonged period of time (i.e., 10 minutes or longer).Guides and guests who are symptomatic or have been exposed to a person with COVID-19, should not return to work until cleared to do so by following current CDC guidelines.
-
Our Health
Monitor ourselves for fever (feeling feverish or a measured temperature of 100.4 F [38 C] or higher), cough, or shortness of breath.
Guides and guests should stay home and not report for trips if they meet any of the following conditions:
Develop fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if mild;
Test positive for COVID-19, even if no symptoms are present; or
Are exposed, as defined below, to a sick person with fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if the person has not been tested for COVID-19.
Exposures of concern include:
i) A sick household member or intimate partner;
ii) Taking care of a sick person without using personal protective equipment (PPE); or
iii) Being within 6 feet (2 meters) of a sick person (including co-workers and passengers) for a prolonged period of time (i.e., 10 minutes or longer).Guides and guests who are symptomatic or have been exposed to a person with COVID-19, should not return to work until cleared to do so by following current CDC guidelines.
