20210701 UPDATE
As from Saturday 26th June 2021 wearing a facemask is not mandatory outdoors in Spain, when 1.5m social distance can be guaranteed. People must carry a mask at all times in case it is required; in anticipation of outdoor crowds or when going indoors such as shops, offices, restaurants and public transport. Andalucia still recommends the wearing of masks outdoors but it is not an obligation.
The Dropzone authorities encourages the wearing of facemasks in classrooms, offices at all times, when it is more difficult to maintain the 1.5m social distance.
All skydiving customers may enter the skydiving facilities without waiting for a staff member at the bar/café area. One spectator is permitted to enter the skydiving facilities with the customer taking part in the skydive. All other spectators must remain in the bar/café area.
The skydiving landing area is controlled by staff, if the 1.5m social distance cannot be maintained, facemasks are mandatory.
20200616 SPECIAL OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES of SKYDIVE SPAIN
All visitors to the airfield must follow any and all procedures put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Throughout the airfield, café/bar and areas of the skydiving centre there will be posters and procedural instructions/recommendations for the appropriate behaviour during the visit, including consistent reminders from staff members. During this adaptation time and until complete normality, we will only receive certified parachutists, students and tandem students inside the skydiving centre area. Meaning that all companions/spectators of these people may not pass the bar area where there will be a visible physical barrier and signage. Therefore, these companions, family members and spectators will remain in the bar area under the supervision and conditions of the work personnel of said area.
All visitors to the airfield and skydiving center should arrive with their own mask/buff style face covering. The airfield and skydiving center have some masks available, but stock is limited. Arriving without a mask could result in access being denied to the airfield.
Whenever possible, visitors to the skydiving centre can have prior contact via email, social network, etc. and will be informed of the prerequisites as well as general warnings if they have any type of Covid-19 symptom or had contact with anyone with symptoms please refrain from attending and changing your scheduled appointment.
Licensed skydivers and staff will be asked to use the BurbleMe app to check-in each morning.
Tandem and free-fall course students must have proof of their booking and arrival time to be able to exit the bar area and walk down to the skydiving centre. A staff member will check their names permit entry to the skydiving centre area only after confirming the pre-set Covid-19 questions have been answered satisfactorily. All visitors are advised to leave belongings with friends or family who will remain in the bar area.
As much as possible, the operation will be pre-manifested, as we will know which users will come to the skydiving centre as well as their approximate hours. This type of operation is an aim to try and minimise the traffic and crossing of people during the activity. Flight rotation may vary depending on the requests. Furthermore, when required, self-manifesting by smartphone app is encouraged for all licensed skydivers. Again, an effort to reduce unnecessary interpersonal contact.
Toilet and washing facilities can be found on the way from the bar area to the skydiving centre office/hangars. Discretion is required to maintain the 2 metre safety distance when using the facilities. These facilities will be cleaned and sanitised regularly throughout the day.
Hydroalcoholic gel dispensing points and an additional wash basin with soap are available throughout the skydiving centre facilities. However, to ensure your comfort, brining personal hand sanitising product is recommended. A mandatory disinfectant shoe walkway is placed for all to use before entering the area of the skydiving centre (a bleach water mix for shoe disinfection located at the side of hangar 1).
Tandem and free-fall course students will wait outdoors at the gravel area outside the office (with social distancing and face mask on) before and after completing the necessary check-in procedures. The instructors will come personally to collect the students when they are needed.
Licensed skydivers should remain outside the office and follow office protocol until it is their turn to enter.
The office will have a maximum of 1 client at a time inside to conduct business, protective screens will be in place between the customer and the office staff. When necessary, staff will go out to attend the customers waiting outside, especially with regard to groups. The 2 meter distancing and the use of face mask should be maintained.
Where possible, the waiting areas and seating will be marked to establish the safety distancing recommendations. However, all visitors are expected to use discretion and act appropriately.
When entering the hangars and any area within the hangars, the 2 meter safety distance should be maintained, unless impractical. The use of a face mask is mandatory is the safety distance cannot be maintained. The use of a face mask is recommended at all times.
All ground training will be conducted in open areas of the hangars or outside whenever possible. If classrooms are used they are disinfected after each use. Any teaching aids/materials that are shared are disinfected after each use. Both staff and customers must sanitise their hands before entering and as leaving any classrooms.
There is be a protective screen at the manifest window, and self-manifesting via the BurbleMe app will be encouraged whenever possible. Only one customer at a time at the manifest window, any waiting customers must maintain a 2 meter distance behind the customer in front of them, markings on the floor will be provided, where possible.
Sanitising of hands for both staff and customers will be encouraged whenever entering or leaving any new area of the skydiving centre, including at flightline/skydiver preparation area and as moving towards the aircraft for boarding.
In the aircraft, at the pilot’s discretion, the door will be kept open as long as possible and verbal communication between the skydivers and pilot will be limited. Skydivers should prepare for the door to open approx. 2,000ft and then be closed again about 11,000ft. Depending on what jump exercise is on board e.g. AFF L8 hop’n’pop this procedure will be modified as necessary. We ask all skydivers to move around and touch inside the aircraft as little as possible when onboard.
The aircraft cabin and skydiver rails will be disinfected at the beginning of the day, at each refueling stop and at the end of the day.
The aircraft cockpit will be disinfected at the beginning of the day, at each change of pilot and at the end of the day.
During the free fall, all licensed skydivers must wear a full-face helmet and mask/buff style covering underneath, except for tandem students, cameraflyers and non-licensed skydivers who will wear an open-face helmet or tandem students frap-hat (optional for tandems) and may push the buff style covering down around their neck, the buff should be placed back over the nose and mouth once the canopy has opened.
Mask/buff style covering must remain on the face in the landing area until the 2 metre safety distance can be assured, but it is recommended to keep on during the return to the hangar.
After returning to the hangar, the usual packing areas are available; centre rigs and packers on the right, self-packing on the left.
The packing floor has allocated rows for each rig, and all packing should be performed ‘head to tail’ in an effort to create distance between the people packing next to each other.
Packers will hand sanitise before starting each packjob, and after finishing. They should not touch anything other than the rig and their packing tools until the packjob is complete.
It is mandatory for packers to use a face mask when completing the part of the packjob which involves them laying on and putting the canopy in the bag.
At the packer’s desk there is sanitising spray and gel available to keep the packing records and any stationary equipment disinfected.
Packers will not share packing tools; pullups/packboys.
Customers should have their own personal packing tools when self-packing.
Customers purchasing packing services or using rental rigs should sanitise their hands before collecting their rig and only pick up the rig when they are ready to gear up for the next jump.
Throughout the day, if anyone appears to be showing symptoms of Covid-19, the skydive centre staff reserve the right to ask relevant questions to said person, and furthermore, reserve the right to insist that person leaves the skydive centre area and the airfield immediately.
When visitors have completed their skydiving for the day, they are asked to leave the skydiving centre area quickly and not to congregate unnecessarily. When all visitors have cleared the skydiving centre area, the staff perform the end of day disinfecting of all areas, surfaces and equipment in preparation for the next day.