Dear visitors to The Polygon,

The well-being of our visitors and staff is of primary importance, and we at The Polygon have taken some steps in light of the emergence of COVID-19.

The Polygon’s approach to managing this situation is guided by evidence-based information from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the BC Centre for Disease Control, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the World Health Organization. As of today, the risk of contracting to the public remains low for residents of Metro Vancouver and our immediate plans are to continue with our programming as planned and monitor the government health authorities for best practices.

We would like to reassure our visitors that we continue to be committed to the safety of all who view our exhibitions and attend our events. We have instituted several steps to help mitigate the impact of potential infection.

These include:
• Asking visitors and staff who are having any symptoms to stay home and to report symptoms, which include fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, to their health care provider.
• Supplying all areas with plentiful hand sanitizer liquids and tissues.
• Sanitizing frequently-used surfaces such as doorknobs, door handle, railings, and telephones.
• Making certain that our staff practice these protocols and engage safe ways of interacting with our visitors.

To help prevent the spread of viruses, we are also asking our community to practice good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

Follow these steps as you would the common cold or flu:
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or sleeve
• Dispose of tissues appropriately
• Avoid contact with sick people If you have travelled lately or have been in contact with anyone who might have the coronavirus and you have any of the following symptoms, take steps to reduce the risk: fever, cough, muscle aches, difficulty breathing.

Call your health care provider or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for guidance.