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Our response & approach to coronavirus

With continued news around coronoavirus (COVID-19) and in light of the recent spread, we wanted to provide an update regarding City Owlets’ response. First and foremost, our patrons’ safety and well-being are our top priority.

For starters, it has always been our daily protocol to sanitize each individual toy and surface at least one time a day. Prior to the escalated situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19), our concern was protecting the children and families from colds, flus, coxsackie, other sicknesses – all of which are transmitted the same exact way as the coronavirus. We have always had antibacterial throughout the space and disinfectant wipes readily available to ensure a safe and clean environment for our patrons. Instead of at least once a day, we aim to be extra vigilant and have stepped up our already rigorous sanitation schedule to 2-3 times a day and more often where and when deemed necessary. We are in the process of securing hospital-grade disinfectant to replace our usual Clorox and Seventh Generation disinfectant – which definitely does the job, but doesn’t offer the same “peace of mind” as products used in the healthcare industry. In addition to disinfecting our toys and play-structure surfaces, we will emphasize the sanitation of all high-traffic areas including door/gate handles, tables, chairs, countertops, restrooms, stairwell handles, and booster seats. We want you to feel confident when visiting our playcafé, so in addition, we have added HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which filter out recirculated air within the space to remove airborne particles.

To ensure the safety of all of our guests and our team, effective immediately, we will require all patrons to use the antibacterial to disinfect their hands before AND after entering the play area. Should any guests physically exhibit any signs of illness (prolonged coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc), they will be asked to leave the premise and return on a day when they are better.

Please refrain from visiting City Owlets if you:
1. have traveled to an impacted region or reside with someone who has traveled to an impacted region within the last 28 days
2. otherwise have reason to believe that you, a family member or person in your home has been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Please do not take offense, should we ask you to come back another day; as it is our duty to protect ALL of our patrons and our team. We encourage our employees to stay home when sick; as it will expose our guests to the same sickness. That being said, we will also encourage our patrons to exercise the same mindfulness and consideration for others. Please do not come to City Owlets or venture to other public spaces if you are sick and help curb the spread of illness by limiting your social activity.

MAKE-UP POLICY FOR CLASSES:
While we look forward to continuing to serve you during this time, we recognize that you may opt to stay home to limit contagion and assist in flatting the curve and strain on our healthcare system. For the time being, we are following the guidelines of the DOE and our classes are still up and running until otherwise instructed. As of today, there are 3 weeks remaining in our current semester. Should you choose to not attend for the remaining 3 weeks, we will allow make-up into the same class next session, provided classes will run and we resume business as usual if the situation improves across the board for all.

OPEN-PLAY PASS/MEMBERSHIP EXTENSIONS:
As of March 13th, for those who have a 5-pk play pass, 10-pack play pass, 1 month or 1 year membership, your passes will be extended as follows:
5-pack play pass extended 2 weeks beyond the original end date
10-pack play pass extended 1 month beyond the original end date
1-month membership extended 2 weeks beyond original end date
1-year membership extended 1 month beyond original end date
The expiration date will be automatically updated on our end and we do not require any action on your part.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES can be rescheduled to a future date without penalty. Please email us to advise of the rescheduled event.

Please rest assured that we are monitoring this developing situation very closely, following updates from the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), following guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health authorities, and staying up-to-date with all news announcements as it pertains school/facility closures. Our children’s and families’ safety is, and remains, the utmost priority at City Owlets. We are staying abreast of this very fluid situation and will comply with any and all additional guidelines as this continues to develop. Should the situation progress, we are also considering and preparing for all future options, i.e. closing our doors, taking some of our classes online, etc…

We understand the importance of limiting social activity, but we also understand how hard it is as parents with small children to keep them home 24/7. That being said, we may move to a reservations-based play model, where we limit patronage to just 5-8 children at any given time for a 2 hour play-session, 3 times a day, in order to afford us time to effectively disinfect after each play-session. This is an evolving idea, which may or may not be necessary depending on how this pandemic plays out. Please stay tuned as we roll out a possible working solution.

We are trying our best to still serve the community while exercising every safety precaution in the process to ensure families will have a safe play/learning environment. It is a very difficult time for all small businesses and after all is said and done, it is a very real possibility that we will have to close our doors due to lack of patronage. That being said, if you are healthy and the local and federal governments have yet to advise of a full lock-down, please continue to support your local small businesses to help provide some sustainability while we all weather this health pandemic. In the mean time, please exercise healthy and responsible hygiene, remain safe, and please know that City Owlets has your health and safety in mind as our top priority. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding any of our temporary policy changes or precautionary measures, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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