As parts of the world start easing COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and other restrictions the big question in rafting operators’ minds is – how to start getting back onto the river and running trips safely? Outdoor activities are among the safest activities to engage in as the outdoor environment presents fewer opportunities for the virus to spread than indoor activities if managed properly.  Rafting is one of the more challenging adventure activities to manage during this pandemic. (PDF version of this article for printing and sharing. Will be updated when needed. This version is 20200525.)

The IRF has solicited ideas and advice from our Guide Training and Education (GTE) Committee and various rafting tour companies around the world to help raft tour operators, and even recreational rafters and racers, to negotiate this first descent towards the ‘new normal’ of running river trips:

• Get familiar with the RIGHT information:
  • Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and your local and national health authorities.
  • To protect yourself and others from infection, we recommend that operators follow WHO guidelines and recommendations, even if they are stricter than your local requirements. Recommended reading: Getting your workplace ready during COVID-19 (very worth the read) and Protecting yourself and others from the spread of COVID-19 (essential).
  • In addition to following WHO guidelines, it is also essential to follow your local legal restrictions that govern activities of this nature (which any operator, guide and trip leader must familiarise themselves with before offering a trip).

• Pre-trip:
  • Check with your personal liability insurance providers of any changes to liability insurance policies as a result of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Create or edit your liability release waivers to include any social distancing guidelines that should be highlighted to the participants prior to the commencement of a trip.
  • Develop a plan for what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected COVID-19 at any stage of the trip.
  • Ensure that any participants planning to join your trip are confident that they have no symptoms such as dry cough, headache or fever, and that they have not been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person within the last 14 days.  We recommend that you obtain a signed statement (release) from participants that specifically states this.
  • Keep a register of the details of all the participants on the trip in order to assist investigations should a COVID-19 outbreak be traced back to the trip. If possible, it is best to collect this online when they make their booking:
    • Full name
    • Residential address
    • Date of birth
    • Email address
    • Telephone number
  • Take the temperatures of staff each day, as well as checking participants on arrival. Infrared thermometers should be used for this.  Temperature readings will not reveal those persons with COVID-19 that are asymptomatic, but help prevent the spread of the virus by those who do have abnormal temperatures but do not present the other symptoms.
  • Keep trip participant numbers as low as reasonably possible. The less people together the easier it is to manage and the less risk of spreading the virus.

• Ensure there are no potential COVID-19 infected surfaces anywhere in the area the trip is being held.  The latest evidence suggests that the virus is not spread easily by surface contact, however best practices dictate that surfaces should be sanitised as well as possible. This involves:
  • Sanitise equipment after each use – see below for more details.
  • Sanitise toilet areas thoroughly, as well as any changing rooms.
  • Sanitise vehicles if used: disinfect the seat belts, door handles and any other areas that may be touched.
  • Participants should bring their own face masks, and possibly their own river gear if is suitable and safe for the trip. (All river gear must be suitable and compliant with any local regulations.) Face masks need to be used correctly to be effective – WHO advice on how to wear masks.
  • It is advised to have participants provide their own food (if possible) as long as it can be suitably packed and stowed by the guide.
  • Ziplocks bags should be provided to each individual for their personal items to avoid surface contact with other person’s items before they are packed and stowed.

• Three of the most important things you must continually remind participants and staff to do:
  
  • Regularly and thoroughly clean their hands with soap and water (at least 20 seconds) or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol alcohol. Ensure soap and water or hand sanitizer are easily available at all times.  Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up and transfer viruses.
  • They must avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth. Why? Contaminated hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth where it can enter your body and infect you.
  • They must practise good respiratory hygiene. This means they must cover their mouth and nose with their bent elbow when they cough or sneeze. Why? Droplets from coughing and sneezing are known to be the most common way that respiratory viruses are transmitted. By following good respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
  • An additional suggestion is encourage everyone to breath through their noses instead of their mouths as much as possible. Why? Fewer droplets are released through nose-breathing and are not expelled as far.

• Social distancing – ensure everyone maintains at minimum 1 metre (3 feet) distance between themselves and others. WHO recommends a minimum 1 meter apart, however some authorities recommend 1,5 meters or 2 meters. Do what is required in the region you are running your trip. Why? When someone coughs, sneezes, or speaks they spray small liquid droplets or aerosols from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets. Here are some pointers:
  • Participants should wear masks during all off-water activities. Wearing masks on the water is not advisable as they can become a hazard for breathing if the person falls in the water and evidence suggest that masks are not effective once they are wet.
  • Ensure plenty of space for participants to achieve proper social distancing when safety and other talks are being made, or standing around at any time.
  • Try avoiding using indoor spaces. Why?  Evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to infected individuals indoors will increase the likelihood that you will inhale enough virus particles to become infected yourself.  Outdoor environments tend to dilute the exposure due to the open space, wind and air currents.  If you must use indoor spaces, we suggest that you open windows and doors to the outside air if possible.
  • Ensure there is plenty of space between individuals when loading or off-loading passengers or packing up or loading equipment.
  • Checking equipment – where possible, group the participants within their own “bubble” (participants that have already been spending time together through stay-at-home restrictions such as partners and family members) to check each other’s equipment while the guide watches. And when finally ready – the guide then can quickly check the equipment of each person in each “bubble” and sterilizes their hands in between “bubbles”.
  • In rafts – spread participants out in crafts accordingly. This is likely to be the second hardest part to manage:
    • Guides should distance themselves from passengers by sitting at the back of the raft and placing passengers further forward.
    • Place a family or “”bubble” together in one raft.
    • Use larger rafts where possible to keep bigger spaces between passengers for non “bubble” groups.
    • For participants who are not part of a large enough “bubble” then a 6-man raft at 1 meter means 4 per raft, whereas 1,5 meters or 2 meters apart means 2 per raft, or maybe 3. However, in Class 3 and above rapids this may need to be adjusted so that the participants will not accidentally end up closer than the limited distance. For instance, if the “get down” command needs to be used, or if it is likely the passengers may be thrown together in the rapids.
    • Consider using in-line rafts (inflatable kayaks, duckies) for couples or individuals.
  • If a rescue becomes necessary, make close contact as brief as possible and, if possible, the rescuer should try to hold their breath during the close contact.
  • Transport – this is probably the hardest to accomplish as participants often must travel close together and in a closed environment:
    • Have participants drive their own vehicle where possible.
    • Provide hand sanitiser for everyone to use as they get into vehicles.
    • Passenger buses and vans should be loaded from the back seat forward, and exited from the front seat to the back.
    • Masks should be worn at all times in shared vehicles.
    • Maintain social distancing between those in different “bubbles”.
    • Have windows open at all times to ensure plenty of fresh air circulation.
    • If transportation is for a short distance, bikes are a possible option.

• Getting going:
  • Do test runs with in-house people.
  • Start with Class 1 or maybe Class 2 depending on the type of river, and get familiar with what is and isn’t possible, and where improvements are needed.
  • Focus on family and “bubble” groups so as to fill a raft with participants who can be near each other.
  • Initially focus on running safe trips, building the business back up will come in time.

• Sanitizing equipment after each use, like lifejackets, helmets, wet suits and other gear: NRS says “For cleaning, soap and water has proven to be both basically safe for the product and effective in killing viruses due to the amphiphiles (fats) in the soap. No need to overspend—any inexpensive non-detergent soap can stop a virus (which is why hand washing is the number one way to stop the spread). The fats in soap dissolve the protein of the virus outer layer and destroy the bond it has with the host, rendering it harmless.” It is also a good confidence booster for participants to see you doing this.

If you have solutions to any of the problems that rafting operators are facing in getting people back on the water please do let us know.

Here’s a statement everyone could use as it sums it all up well –

“As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we are ready to evolve with it and change our practices accordingly. But we want you to know that we are taking this situation very seriously and adjusting as necessary. The only thing we care about more than getting out on the river is making sure we are doing so safely for all involved.” – Tongariro River Rafting

Stay safe, and enjoy getting back on the river!

#StaySafe #EcoRafting #RaftersAreAwesome #AreYouReady #InternationalRafting #StrongerTogether #WeAreIrf