The dogs won’t be wearing masks – and neither will the skunks or kitties – but this year’s Get Rescued in Gulfport will have a marked focus on keeping visitors safe from COVID-19.
With her reign cut short due to COVID-19, Gulfport’s first-ever pet mayor, Coco the rescued chocolate lab, will officially extend her reign on February 27 at Gulfport’s Get Rescued. The pandemic kept Coco from fulfilling her mayoral duties – the parades and festivities over which she was to preside were canceled – but she’s optimistic that 2021 will be her year.
Coco’s not the only animal impacted by COVID-19; this year’s Get Rescued will have exacting safety protocols in place that will protocol not visitors, but the rescues and rehabbers who know the animals in their care rely on them to stay healthy.
Gulfport Get Rescued, a 17-year pet rescue and wildlife rehab event sponsored by the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce, was one of the last events the Chamber sponsored before the world went into lockdown last year; this year, organizer SIK Promotions wanted to make sure they could create an event that encouraged not only safe and responsible adoption, but also safe and responsible attendance.
“It’s such a popular event and we didn’t want to cancel it, but we had a real concern about how we could make the event as safe as possible,” organizer Suzy King said.Working with the GMC and the City of Gulfport, SIK Promotions went to work to turn the seaside city’s popular event into one that offered visitors and rescue alike more space and safety.
While this year’s event will still have rescues, pet-themed artists and businesses, and wildlife rehabbers, it will also boast strict safety protocols to ensure both visitors and animal rescuers stay as safe as possible. Temperature checks, hand-washing stations, mask requirements for rescues, and sanitization protocols and stations are all part of making the event safe.
“With so many people coming to the event every year, we knew we had to do a lot of planning and be specific about what we expect from people when they participate in the event, either as a business or a rescue. And yes, it’s an outdoor event, but we want to make sure people visiting know we really want them to wear masks,” King said.
While rescues and rehabbers will still line Gulfport’s Beach Boulevard, King says her staff space each rescue farther apart than in years past. Additionally, each rescue will require people to sanitize their hands before and after petting or handling an animal.
This event will also adhere to GulfportSTRONG protocols, which means that, in addition to the above safety protocols, volunteers will stroll through the event to help visitors, rescues, rehabbers, and visitors find hand-washing stations, remain compliant, and make the event safe for everyone.