El San Juan Bay Estuary Program (Estuary) prioritizes safeguarding the health and safety of its volunteers, participants, collaborators, and employees; therefore, it establishes the following guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19 virus contagion, also following the provisions of Executive Order 2020-062 of the Government of Puerto Rico.
These guidelines also comply with local regulations and those recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically the recommendations offered to community-based organizations when conducting events with volunteers. We urge all participants to follow them.
Puerto Rico's Water Quality Monitoring Day (the Event) will be held differently this year 2020:
- The Estuary will not convene any groups to conduct official water quality monitoring procedures as in previous years. The usual Event press conference will be held virtually, via Zoom.
- This year, a window of time until September 20, 2020 is offered to carry out the water quality sampling activity and submit the results.
- The Estuary distributed monitoring kits throughout the island, including reagent sets, informational and promotional materials, gloves, and disinfectants.
- Each participant will conduct the Event with their immediate family. They will evaluate the results and submit them electronically and remotely to Estuary via the website: https://estuario.org/formulario-dia-de-monitoreo/.
The health and safety of participants is paramount, therefore the Estuary requires them to follow these instructions:
- Monitoring is prohibited on Sundays, or during curfew hours (OE 2020-062).
- Stay in groups of fewer than 5 people.
- It is required to wear gloves during sample collection.
- Maintain the recommended distance of at least 6 feet between people.
- Wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, wash your hands constantly, avoid touching your face, and cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing.
- Stay home if you have recently experienced any symptoms of COVID-19.
- Each participant is responsible for complying with the guidelines of Executive Order 2020-062. The Estuary is not responsible for any violations of these guidelines by participants and/or collaborators.
