Learning to Live Covid-19

We have an update to our Covid-19 protocol.

For our most recent update: 

https://dragonflyhill.wordpress.com/2021/07/15/in-and-out-of-covid/

 

This is an update to our previous Covid-19 post: https://dragonflyhill.wordpress.com/2020/08/02/hosting-during-the-current-pandemic/

We’re back in business: Sort of. 

We have space for campers, but our rooms in our house are not available for rent, short or long term, due to the pandemic. Some of our team who lived here, moved out. Others who commuted have had to stay away. We’ve advertised on Hipcamp, Craigslist and Houfy. We are no longer (not currently) listed on airbnb. We are allowing more long term guests, especially in their own RV or campers.

(For links and more information on staying or living here:
https://dragonflyhill.wordpress.com/home-is-anywhere-work-from-home-with-dragonflyhill/

Our community continues, as always, tenuously: more virtually than in the past. Also including longer term campers and RVers, as well as our guests, many of whom stay longer than just a few days.

We’re also available within county restrictions and guidelines to allow the use of the space for socially distanced events.

And to the extent possible, continue to offer other services as well.

We hope to offer online events soon, as well as other consulting services: household organizing, tutoring, consulting with parents regarding distance learning and home schooling, tax preparation, photography, proofreading and so on. Currently we’re still just so busy running this space and establishing our farm. 

We’re operating with a very small team, with essentially 3 people doing most of the work of running this space. Alvaro comes out here twice a week from eastern L.A County, and along with Emma and Andy do most of the work to run this space. We no longer have large community breakfasts but the team eats together on the front porch when the 3 of us are here, with lots of distance. Only those of us who live in the house, go into the house and do all the house cleaning and laundry. We look forward to opening up The Tea Cottage (a whole house listing on our land) in the next month, but right now we’re only open to campers, including in our Vardo. This doesn’t go very far to pay the bills. We’ve taken advantage of debt deferments and debt negotiations and hope we’ll be able to stay in our home, and  won’t have to sell (or foreclose) on this space, but it’s a hustle every day. The land is beautiful. We did a lot of planting in October and look forward to watching the plants we planted, grow and grow.

It’s not quite as overwhelming as it was last March. We’ve had a lot to learn: like how to eat together, outside, how to make safe socially distanced work, how to connect online. Learning to live covid-19 is as much a part of the process as defeating covid-19.

Initially we posted in our listings and our blog that we might not be able to provide guests with all the amenities we have historically provided that might still be in our (Hipcamp) listing description. We didn’t even know how to actually articulate that, still very much in a state of shock dealing with this new reality. Some guests downrated us for not meeting expectations. We find it remarkable that people don’t get that this is a global crisis, that life isn’t going to go on as usual, that everything is different, including their camping vacation. Our inability to provide what we’ve provided in the past is due to our reduced team, the darkening of our in house listings (a severe loss of income) and the limitations of the pandemic itself.

Some of the changes we’ve made, aside from not providing access to the Main House, is to set up more tables outside for eating, internet access and social distancing. We’ve allowed cooking at campsites and more frequent cleaning and disinfecting of common spaces. We don’t allow last minute bookings and require 48 hours notice to book, giving us enough time to fully communicate with guests so that we can better meet their expectations and needs  and be clear about what they can anticipate in a stay here.

Included in all our camping listing descriptions:

****Corona virus update: Excellent spot for social distancing, quick getaway from the city, 1st responders. MUST HAVE OWN RV, CAMPER OR TENT. Campers without their own bathroom facilities can either use our shared portapotty (cleaned regularly and we provide spray disinfectant to use between guests) or you can rent for an additional fee, your private portapotty if you make the request with a week’s notice, subject to availability. We can provide water hookup, Some electrical. Guests must agree to adhere to social distancing protocols (See our rules). Some amenities may not be available and rules may be changed. Daily adjustments to assure the safety of guests and hosts. Normally camping guests have access to bathrooms and the Main House and common spaces. Currently these amenities are not available to guests. Check in is done virtually and/or with social distancing. All guests must still provide photo id, registration information.

During the pandemic our primary focus is on safety. Guests should expect a more austere and solitary experience. We have a much smaller team to run the space. Currently we are not renting out rooms in the Main House because those listings don’t allow for social distancing but we hope to open a whole house, “tea cottage” this fall. We also can’t offer our legendary breakfasts. We look forward to gathering guests, hosts, community members and friends around the table again, some time in the future. *****

We also have instituted the following Corona Virus Pandemic, Specific Rules:

Specific Rules During the Corona Virus Pandemic

For Guests and People Living Here

Safety First: Guests/lodgers must follow host’s instructions and be flexible as conditions may change and rules may need to be altered. Our hosting priorities are on safety first over other amenities.

We assume everyone: guests/lodgers, hosts, etc., is contagious. Everyone must wear masks and maintain social distancing of 6 feet from all people who are not part of one’s family, travel party or pod.  (This applies to outdoor spaces).

If you think the CoronaVirus pandemic is  NOT real or serious and is part of an elaborate hoax to get you to cover the lower half of your face and consider the rights, safety and needs of other people, please choose to stay elsewhere. This is not the space for you.

More than ever, it is important for people to display and practice social responsibility.  Guests traveling for leisure from one geographic location to another should be very careful as to not spread the virus by limiting contact with people in the locations to which they travel.  Food and equipment should be purchased before making the trip. Keep travel within a half tank of gas from your home or fill up at pumps without going into stores or having to share space with other people.

For safety reasons and to maintain social distancing, Host will not enter guests/lodgers quarters except in an emergency. During such emergency guests/lodgers are to wear masks and maintain social distancing. An emergency would be any situation that is unsafe for guests/lodgers or where a basic amenity is not available: electrical, water, internet, cable, etc.

Guests/lodgers who use common areas will need to clean and disinfect areas and equipment before use and must clean up after themselves.  Materials are provided by the Dragonfly Team.

There will be no access to the Main House during the CoronaVirus pandemic unless quarantine protocols have been determined and agreed upon

Priority is given to guests/lodgers traveling in response to Covid 19 either in need of isolation, quarantine, work space, or for essential workers and first responders.