With the Shawnee County Health Department implemented a new Health Order today, we have gotten a lot of questions about whether or not this will affect the 33 day Zoo Lights event.

Because we knew the impact of COVID-19 could increase as we headed towards the end of the year, we began planning for that months ago.  Here are some of the safeguards we put into place to make sure we can provide Zoo Lights as a safe and healthy community activity.  We are going to start by letting Mother Nature give us a little help.

• Other than the occasional visit inside a bathroom, all the event activities occur outside.  You can’t get better ventilation than that.
• All attendees will be required to wear a mask during the duration of the event except when they are eating or drinking.  And it’s cold in Kansas during late November and December.  Be festive and wear a scarf around that mask.
• Because it is outside and because we expect it to be cold, we also expect more people will be wearing gloves and therefore less surface cross contamination.
• Guests to Zoo Lights will be required to purchase their tickets online.  This helps us regulate the number of attendees at any given time and make sure that everyone that is at the event has adequate space to social distance from other groups.
• One hour before Zoo Lights opens the Zoo will close to its daytime attendees.  This will give the Zoo’s cleaning teams time to clean and sanitize prior to reopening for the evening event.
• The event runs for 33 evenings, giving plenty of options for those that want to attend to find a time.

Like you, we have learned to go with the flow during this time of pandemic.  We will adjust accordingly throughout Zoo Lights based on what the Shawnee County Health Department is recommending at any given time.