COVID-19 Tour Protocols

This document has been updated based on the most recent guidelines provided by local, state, and federal sources, as well as best practices when dealing with COVID-19.

Last Updated: August 20, 2020

Important New Measures with Your Safety in Mind

Thank you for your interest in the historic Richardson Olmsted Campus!  We are pleased to have you here to visit. To assure a safe and enjoyable visit for guests and volunteers alike, please review all the measures listed below with each member of your party ahead of the tour.  Failure to abide by these safety measures may result in a tour being halted or cancelled at any point in the tour process.

WHAT TO KNOW

• The Richardson Olmsted Campus is following all guidelines from the CDC, WHO, local, state, federal governments, and best practices, to keep our guests, volunteers, and staff safe while on site.
• We have enacted new measures including:
• Routine cleaning between tours of high touch surfaces
• Health screening assessment of all staff
• Health awareness for volunteers and guests
• Mandatory mask use of all guests, volunteers, and staff
• Contact tracing required of anyone on the property
• Social distancing awareness markers
• We are open for private tours by reservation only. Due to New York mandates, each tour is currently limited to one family group or safe social party of no more than ten guests, age sixteen and over, with reservations made in advance. We are not able to accommodate walk-in guests at this time.
• All guests, volunteers, and staff must comply with posted rules and regulations, as well as any additional instructions provided by staff and volunteers.
• There is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the CDC, senior citizens and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 for you and your party.

BEFORE YOUR TOUR

• If you or anyone in your party has a fever, flu-like symptoms, has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, has knowingly been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or has had a suspected case, or if you have traveled to or from any location on the New York Travel Advisory list in the past 14 days, please DO NOT come to the Richardson Olmsted Campus. Please call us at 716-601-1153 and speak with the staff if you have booked a tour. We will be here to welcome you in the future, and will be happy to exchange tour dates, so please wait to visit until you and your party are in good health.
• Guests who do visit with flu-like or known COVID-19 symptoms while on tour, will immediately be asked to leave, without refund.
• Guests who book from locations on the New York Travel Advisory list will have their reservations canceled and refunded.
• Everyone in your party must provide their name and phone number for Contact Tracing purposes per New York State. This information will be shared only with the New York and Erie County Departments of Health, if necessary, due to a COVID-19 case.
• Failure to provide this information upon arrival will result in your tour being canceled without a refund.
• Only guests age 16+ will be admitted for tours.
• There are several flights of stairs and significant walking and standing on this two-hour tour.  Please contact us well in advance if you or someone in your party has mobility concerns.  There is a self-guided outdoor tour which would be an excellent option.
• Please check the weather in advance on your tour and be prepared to dress appropriately.  Our tours take place rain or shine, and tours will not be canceled or rescheduled for inclement weather.
• For your safety, closed-toed shoes are mandatory; we cannot allow sandals or shoes with high-heels in the historic buildings.  The historic buildings have been unoccupied since 1974 and the floors may be uneven and covered with various debris.
• Should we learn that a guest, volunteer, or staff member has been infected with COVID-19, our operations may be disrupted or shut down on little or no notice. Every effort will be made to notify you as soon as possible if this will affect your ability to tour the site.

WHEN ARRIVING

• Masks are required for all guests, at all times. These should be properly worn prior to exiting your vehicle, and for the duration of your visit.
• If you do not have a face covering, a masked member of your group may come to the check-in location to get one for you to wear before you enter the property.
• Face coverings should fully cover your nose and mouth, fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face, be secured with ties or ear loops, and be made of breathable material.
• We want you to have an enjoyable experience. Please be aware that the removal of a mask or face covering will cause an immediate end to the tour, so please leave face coverings in place.
• We are not able to accommodate medical exemptions regarding mask-wearing at the present time.

CHECKING IN & YOUR TOUR

• If a party member does not have a mask, please have them remain in the vehicle, and obtain one for them upon checking in. Once they are wearing it, they can approach the check-in station.
• Guests will check-in for their prepaid and reserved tour time and provide contract tracing information for each party member.
• A maximum of two additional family members may be paid for at the door, with no more than ten total guests per family or party. Only checks or cash in the correct amount of the payment due will be accepted.
• Guests will have a chance to use the restrooms if needed, then will be directed to the first-floor gallery to wait for their Docent. Re-entrance into the hotel will not be permitted.
• Your Docent will begin your tour in the gallery with the rules for touring the property. For your safety, please follow these instructions carefully.  Failure to follow your Docent’s rules, or those given by other staff and volunteers at any time, will result in immediate dismissal from the property without a refund.

PLEASE BE ADVISED

• These new measures will be strictly enforced by Richardson Olmsted Campus staff and volunteers. If you — or those in your party — do not agree to follow all our safety measures,  we ask that you refrain from visiting until the Covid-19 restrictions have been removed.
• We are truly excited to share our historic site and buildings with you.  In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit and to avoid any unpleasant issues, please review all the above measures with all members of your party and assure their cooperation prior to booking your tour.
• As the pandemic continues and knowledge of the disease and guidelines change, these rules and guidelines are subject to change at any time without notice.
• By purchasing tickets, you and your party acknowledge that you have read all and will abide by all of the rules listed above and that you have shared these rules with your party members and elicited their cooperation to the above.