Given the circumstances that the whole of society is going through during the COVID-19 pandemic, our campaign this year has some special characteristics.
The original protocol for capturing biological samples works well within the protective measures against COVID-19, as it requires all participants to perform collections as far as possible from each other, in order to ensure that the captured Drosophila (fruit flies) are representative of the whole Drosophila (fruit fly) population inhabiting that orchard.
Furthermore, in the context of COVID-19, we will further minimize risk by following the following guidelines:
- Participants will be organized into small groups.
- When traveling to the field by bus, official protocols and safety recommendations – such as maintaining a safe distance and wearing a mask at all times – must be followed at all times.
- Entomological aspiration is to be performed individually.
- Do not share the material during the fieldwork.
- Disinfect the material between use by different people during the same collecting session and when classifying biological samples.
