COVID-19 UPDATE AND STATEMENT (As of December 17th, 2020)

THANK YOU! – We would like to thank all front line workers, including hospital and health care workers for their tireless and valiant efforts over the past several months.  We would also like to thank educators for continuing to educate our youth while keeping them safe.  They are all the true heroes and we truly appreciate their commitment.

Temple and Temple Tours Inc. has been planning curriculum-based educational tours for student groups since 1988.  Over the years, we have seen a lot of changes and faced a lot of challenges. Safety has always remained one of our key ingredients to every successful tour.

Our priority has always been the safety and well-being of our travellers and staff.  The situation with the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be fluid and is still changing on a frequent basis.  We take this very seriously and are constantly monitoring developments through the media, government, WHO (World Health Organization) and PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada) websites.

While it is important to be wise and vigilant, it is equally important to not panic.

This is a world-wide pandemic and neither racism nor xenophobia will be promoted nor tolerated.

CANCELLATION:

Should the Canadian government issue an advisory to not travel to one of our destinations (https://Travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories), a full refund will be offered to the passengers should they have purchased cancellation insurance.  We will also be working hand-in-hand with the Canadian government at all levels (municipal, provincial and federal) should other travel restrictions be announced.

We offer health/cancellation insurance prior to each trip departure, which must be purchased at time of first payment.

CANCELLATION DUE TO COVID-19:

If you have purchased Travel Guard insurance through Temple and Temple Tours Inc., we must finalize and receive all trip documentation with/from your school and Board of Education.  We will submit this to Travel Guard and they will then let us know when the file has been set up for your school.  The refund process can then begin.   We will inform your school and will be sending instructions as to how each individual can proceed with Travel Guard to either file their own claim or follow up on the claim initially set up.

Once a claim is submitted, Travel Guard will email or mail a claim document directly to you.  You must sign and return this to them.  They will then review your claim and begin the refund process.

To date, all groups have cancelled for the period beginning on March 16th and through until December 31st, 2020, not only with us, but industry-wide.  Please contact the Temple and Temple Tours Inc. Service Associate who is representing your school should you have any questions (info@tnt-tours.com).

If you did not purchase cancellation insurance, please contact your other sources of insurance:  Insurance coverage you may have purchased through any other provider (you may also check your home or work coverage or coverage through your credit card company).  Most people who did choose to not purchase our coverage through Travel Guard did so because they had other coverage in place;

CANCELLATION DUE TO A SCHOOL OR BOARD DECISION:

Once a school or Board makes the decision to cancel a trip, a letter on Board letterhead will need to be signed and sent by a Board official informing Temple and Temple Tours Inc. of cancellation.

Temple and Temple Tours Inc. will then send a list of all families, as received from your school, to Travel Guard.  Once they receive this list, we will inform your school and will be sending instructions as to how to proceed with Travel Guard.  This will include Travel Guard sending each family a claim document that needs to be signed and returned directly to Travel Guard.  The refund process will then begin with the claim being reviewed.

NOTE:  This insurance premium is not refundable.

If you did not purchase Travel Guard insurance coverage as offered by Temple and Temple Tours Inc., you will be subject to our terms and conditions.  You may be entitled to a portion back and we will work with your school to get this information to you in the best timely manner possible under the current circumstances.

For all future trips scheduled with Temple and Temple Tours Inc., we are communicating regularly with our industry partners, schools, school Boards and government regarding protocol and procedures.  Any developments, whether they are trip confirmations or cancellations, will be communicated to your school, which will in turn communicate with you.  Again, this is a reminder that developments keep occurring on a regular basis.

TRAVEL GUARD:

Travel Guard is a global insurance provider, which is dealing with many recent claims submitted by several schools and individuals worldwide.  Under normal circumstances, claims can take 8 to 12 weeks.  Due to exceptional circumstances, refunds may be delayed.  We appreciate your understanding and patience during these unprecedented times.

OFFICE STATUS:

We are currently in the process of dealing with many unforeseen and changing occurrences and challenges due to Covid-19.  Our offices were closed, from March 16th to June 30th inclusive, in alignment with the State of Emergency mandate.  Our offices have been closed again since November 23rd due to the second lock down and will remained closed until such time as the government allows us to re-open.  While none of our staff is showing any symptoms, they will remain at home for health and safety reasons.  People’s (and society’s) well-being is our current focus.

Our priority remains the health and safety of our clients and staff during these challenging times.

FACTS:

There are currently travel restrictions within Canada, the U.S./Canada border remains closed and a travel quarantine still exists.  We will continue to monitor these restrictions and will update you as developments occur.

As of March 12, 2020, The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) had assessed the COVID-19 health risk as low within Canada.  Since then, the risk has been increasing and alerts/restrictions have been escalating.  The status of the pandemic is changing on a frequent basis.

SYMPTOMS AND OCCURRENCE:

• The elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions (diabetes, respiratory...) are the most susceptible to the virus.
• For the general public, symptoms include fever and coughing.
• A very high rate (well over 80 percent) of those in the general public who catch this virus will have a full recovery

PREVENTION, CONTROL AND CONTAINMENT:

• For those who have symptoms we recommend that they report immediately to an assessment centre in Toronto.
• If you are diagnosed with the virus it is important to subject yourself to self-quarantine for at least 14 days.
• It is recommended that you wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and that this is done frequently.
• Using hand-sanitizer is also recommended.
• When coughing or sneezing please cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or into your arm.
• Carrying sanitizing wipes to wipe down common areas of use is helpful.
• Some people are using masks and gloves to limit their risk of catching the virus.
• Avoiding large crowds and keeping a distance of about 2 metres (6 feet) of personal space is strongly urged.  Social distancing is now being called physical distancing.  Please respect this plea from all levels of government.
• When greeting somebody, you should not kiss or shake hands – avoiding contact is the best advice.
• Avoid sharing personal items that come into contact with saliva ... eating utensils, drinks, water bottles, towels...

TEMPLE AND TEMPLE TOURS MOTOR COACH TRAVEL PROCEDURES FOR FUTURE DEPARTURES ON DOMESTIC TRIPS:

• All passengers will go through a pre-screening process, where they must complete and return an online survey, confirming they are symptom-free at time of travel. We reserve the right to take a passenger’s temperature at time of boarding. When boarding a bus, passengers are asked to advise our staff if they have any symptoms (fever, cough ...).  If they do, they will be asked to not go on the tour and will be offered to transfer to a future date at no extra cost.
• Buses have increased cleaning and disinfection frequency of high-touch surfaces such as sink tap handles, door knobs, light switches, front dash boards, hand poles, and seat rests using regular cleaners and Lysol wipes.  Lysol containers can be found in the overhead compartment behind the driver’s seat.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is located in the front entrance to the buses.  There are refill supplies for this in the overhead compartment behind the driver’s seat.
• We will make several rest-stops on route to the destinations where passengers may wash their hands with soap and warm water.
• We use hotels where rooms are cleaned daily and there is an increased frequency in cleaning of public area ... lobbies, elevators, restaurants ...
• Our itineraries are flexible and subject to change.
• We are also referring regularly to information as provided from world and national health organizations and international travel associations (i.e. The Student Youth Travel Association – SYTA, Ontario Motor Coach Association - OMCA) and will continue to update our Plan as further information becomes available.

Thank you very much for your continued business and support.  We wish all of you a very happy holiday season and a 2021 filled with much prosperity and positivity.