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Has Anyone Considered Disabling Caches Until the Virus Threat is Past


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1 hour ago, niraD said:

Not really. Surface contamination isn't a significant vector for this virus. Your geocaching companions might infect you, but not the geocaches themselves.

Agreed.

Anyone who ever got sick by any of the thousands of things we can't see in our own soil realizes that this virus is no different.

We've had something to clean/disinfect our hands with us while in this hobby (just like our other "outdoors" hobbies) ever since we started.   :)

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On 10/13/2020 at 2:10 AM, Corp Of Discovery said:

Now that things have progressed for a few months I thought it might be good to bring this back up.

 

Does anyone still have their caches disabled for the pandemic or know of someone else who does?

 

Does Groundspeak have a time limit for keeping them disabled or a plan for reactivation (or archiving if called for)?

 

Around here, reviewers have been "giving notice" (roughly "there seems to be an issue, please fix or state you plans within 30 days") for caches disabled for a long time, and that includes ones disabled because of COVID-19.     Then 30 days later if no action the caches have been archived.    I've seen several caches which I know are fine, but were archived because the CO disabled them for COVID-19 months ago, and hasn't enabled them (and didn't respond to the reviewers note).  

 

I know it is the CO's fault for not responding, but I feel sad to see otherwise good caches go.

 

 

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I checked the 60 closest disabled caches and none of them are disabled for COVID-19 reasons.

With infections increasing a lot I could understand CO's disabling their caches but that would only attract more people to the remaining caches increasing the risk of coming in contact with an "infected cache".

We try to go for caches that have been placed for a while so many have found them already. In the field we look at the paper logs and use hand sanitizer whenever a cache was found to recent.

Since most caches are "out in the elements" we guess the virus will not survive very long, even after a day the risk is reduced a lot and the hand sanitizer will take care of what might be left..

 

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I know of a cache that was disabled for months because of covid. The reviewer has been more than patient. The cache owner stated on more than one occasion that they cannot replace the cache because of safer at home restrictions declared by the Governor. 

So someone who flew halfway across the United States to find it got frustrated and replaced it. 

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41 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

I know of a cache that was disabled for months because of covid. The reviewer has been more than patient. The cache owner stated on more than one occasion that they cannot replace the cache because of safer at home restrictions declared by the Governor. 

So someone who flew halfway across the United States to find it got frustrated and replaced it. 

 

It was disabled, and someone traveled a great distance to find it?

I don't think I have any sympathy for the frustrated cacher.

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I disabled one of mine because it's in a library that was closed for the pandemic.

 

Months later, I got a gig notice from my reviewer who told me to reactivate, archive or provide an update.

 

Taking it as a request to find out if the cache had a future, I checked with the library and was told they had 'Parking Lot Service' only. I filed an OM log stating that the cache location was STILL unavailable and that I was checking regularly (which I was).

 

Problem solved! That's all that he or she wanted.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FYI, shortly after, the library fully opened and I re-activated the cache.

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3 hours ago, redsox_mark said:

 

Around here, reviewers have been "giving notice" (roughly "there seems to be an issue, please fix or state you plans within 30 days") for caches disabled for a long time, and that includes ones disabled because of COVID-19.     Then 30 days later if no action the caches have been archived.    I've seen several caches which I know are fine, but were archived because the CO disabled them for COVID-19 months ago, and hasn't enabled them (and didn't respond to the reviewers note).  

 

I know it is the CO's fault for not responding, but I feel sad to see otherwise good caches go.

 

 

 

 

I get the feeling that some COs don't like being told.

 

I noticed one CO deliberately not enabling his caches "because of COVID" yet he has been logging finds on caches since March.  When prompted by a reviewer he replies that he wants to get an official word from GCHQ. Guess he's got a beef with the reviewer. 

 

Another CO was quick to disable dozens of his caches because of COVID but went silent when he got the reviewer note. He's letting them all slowly become reviewer archived, about half of them are at this point. It seems on the face of it that the CO got his nose out of joint. 

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We placed two state game land cache series out during the covid19 pandemic which have been amazingly popular, given the long hikes required.  The game lands that they are on is 45,000+ acres, so it is easy for seekers to feel isolated.

 

Still briars, ticks, poisonous snakes and bears to be aware of, though...  Who knows what they will find?  This year we've seen eagles, turkey, fox, falcons, coyote... And very few people.  With hunting season starting (archery deer and pheasant now open) we wear orange... Including the geo-hound.

 

Another active local cacher put a 34 cache series on the same gamelands recently which is also quite popular.

 

Glad people are putting out new ones in remote locations rather than disabling them.

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In a sense I'd like to see a 2 or 3 day nudge before the end of a 30-day disabled reminder, since sometimes a CO forgets there's an outstanding 30-day deadline to respond or deal. On the other hand, our reviewers at least make it very clear that if the cache is intended to remain active, it can be easily unarchived by pinging the reviewer if they archive it after the 30-day no-response grace period. I've often seen such an archival reversed within minutes; typically I'd guess because the CO forgot to either add a note or enable it, and didn't mark the date the reviewer would archive.

 

But I do think it mostly comes down to this:

 

19 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

I get the feeling that some COs don't like being told.

 

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1 hour ago, thebruce0 said:

On the other hand, our reviewers at least make it very clear that if the cache is intended to remain active, it can be easily unarchived by pinging the reviewer if they archive it after the 30-day no-response grace period. I've often seen such an archival reversed within minutes; typically I'd guess because the CO forgot to either add a note or enable it, and didn't mark the date the reviewer would archive.

 

Curious, as here the reviewers say the opposite, that such an archival won't be reversed and a new cache submission will be needed.

 

Quote

For ongoing issues please ensure you visit the listing and post a new note every 28 days to keep everyone up to date, if you do not then you cache may be archived without further note from a reviewer. Caches archived due to lack of maintenance are no longer unarchived and you will need to submit a replacement as a new cache.

 

The only time I've seen a reviewer archival of a disabled cache reversed was just recently when the CO had actually posted a note within the allowed time but the reviewer missed it and hit the archive button by mistake.

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5 minutes ago, ecanderson said:

At a guess, I'd assume that there's no S.O.P. for reviewers, or that if there is, it doesn't get read very often.  We see some big regional differences as well.

 

But you'd be wrong.  Months ago, pre-pandemic, Geocaching HQ specifically asked Reviewers not to say that a cache could be unarchived if it met current guidelines.  This matches up with the public-facing guidance in the Help Center:

 

Quote

If a cache is archived by a reviewer or staff for lack of maintenance, it will not be unarchived.

 

There are always one-off exceptions.  If someone wrote to me and said "I was in the hospital due to COVID-19, sorry I missed your note," I would certainly make an exception. 

 

Most people, even if quarantined, can post a note to their cache page to state their intentions.  And, the new Cache Owner Dashboard provides an additional reminder.

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3 hours ago, Keystone said:

 

But you'd be wrong.  Months ago, pre-pandemic, Geocaching HQ specifically asked Reviewers not to say that a cache could be unarchived if it met current guidelines.  This matches up with the public-facing guidance in the Help Center:

 

Well I guess HQ will need to send a reminder to their reviewer :

 

2020-10-06

 

This cache page has been Archived.
If the cache owner wishes to discuss whether this cache page can be Unarchived then minimally :

  • The cache/cache page must comply with the current Guidelines,
  • A request (including cache GC code) needs to be sent using the Send Email link on my profile page.

Unarchive requests can only be considered if they are made within 3 months of this Archive action.

(name of the reviewer) - Community Volunteer Reviewer

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>>>Has Anyone Considered Disabling Caches Until the Virus Threat is Past

 

I might have answered this already but will again. We didn't disable our caches because of Covid-19 and am so glad we didn't because they were a lifesaver for people who were stuck at home because of covid closing down entire cities and many regulations in place.  Our cache hides were very busy during this time, more so than ever before.  It was the only thing that help keeping many people sane, in my opinion, during this difficult time, allowing us to get out in the fresh air and geocache.  So easy to keep social distancing and wearing masks. So a huge thank you to the Geocaching Headquarters for not closing down our cache hides although new caches were not published until it was safe and some regulations were lifted. We are close to having another wave of covid, cases are increasing, but keep geocaching for your mental and physical health! Wear a mask, keep your distance, and bring hand sanitizer. 

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3 minutes ago, sernikk said:

Disabling caches because of a virus is pointless. Those who want will go and find it anyway.

 

I disabled my 60+ caches in March for about 2 and a half months.  I had one find logged in all that time.  Not everybody agreed with caches being disabled, but the vast majority of those that did carry on caching were respectful of the COs wishes.  ?

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2 hours ago, sernikk said:

Disabling caches because of a virus is pointless. Those who want will go and find it anyway.

 

I disabled four of mine during the April-May lockdown here as the areas either the caches themselves or the waypoints (for multis) were in were closed off. All my other hides were in bushland reserves that remained open, and as excercise within your local area was permitted, I didn't see a need to disable them. Some other cachers disabled all their hides for the duration, though, and I was happy to respect their decision. Sure, disabling a cache won't stop someone from attempting it, but it sends a strong message that the CO would prefer they didn't. Removing the containers as well would reinforce that, but in my case I couldn't due to the areas being closed and the travel restrictions here preventing me from getting to three of them.

 

Thankfully the lockdown worked, with the virus close to being eliminated here, and life has returned much to normal except events still aren't allowed due to the limits on gatherings.

Edited by barefootjeff
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I had three cache disabled due to the pandemic, all due to municipal closures of park amenities like playgrounds, benches and water features. It took me until September to  feel comfortable enough to re-enable two of those said caches...one of which hasn't been found since last winter due to it's high T rating and difficulty. The final cache was disabled all the way until literally two daysago, due to an apartment compex next door which had expanded the parkette my cache was in tremendously. Many of the stones which my cache was hidden alongside were removed....and I can safely say the cache did not make it. But anyways, that cache was 2 metres from a playground....the city never actually announced when park amenities were reopened, which made reactivating caches much tougher on my part.

 

If we see similar municipal measures, I won't be afraid to disable these caches again....it may seem a bit harsh, but I'd rather have cachers be safe and not be charged for breaking the rules.

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Here in New South Wales, Australia, we've now gone 16 days straight without a single COVID case detected anywhere in the state (apart from returning overseas travellers in hotel quarantine) but outdoor gatherings are still limited to 30 people. While there could be some increase in that as Christmas approaches if there are no more outbreaks (my guess is 50), it's still well below the threshold of 100 our reviewers have set before they'll allow events to be published. So I'm still patiently sitting on my disabled published-then-retracted community celebration event.

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On 11/23/2020 at 6:12 PM, barefootjeff said:

While there could be some increase in that as Christmas approaches if there are no more outbreaks (my guess is 50), it's still well below the threshold of 100 our reviewers have set before they'll allow events to be published.

 

I was right. The New South Wales government has just announced that, from the 1st of December, private outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people will be allowed. That's still nowhere near the 100 threshold set by the reviewers for events to be allowed so I guess it'll be a pretty quiet geoChristmas here.

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10 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

 

I was right. The New South Wales government has just announced that, from the 1st of December, private outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people will be allowed. That's still nowhere near the 100 threshold set by the reviewers for events to be allowed so I guess it'll be a pretty quiet geoChristmas here.

In my area the reviewer was publishing events with the 50 threshold.

 

Sadly its a was because the second wave is beginning here and the number is dropping to 5 people...

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5 hours ago, Corp Of Discovery said:

a cacher in my area whose listings (numbering in the hundreds) have been disabled for almost 14 months

 

Yes, and? I assume Illinois? vaccination rate variable by county, between ~25 - 35 %, hospitalizations at only 1500  - deaths down to a mere 210 in the last week.   

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7 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:

 

Yes, and? I assume Illinois? vaccination rate variable by county, between ~25 - 35 %, hospitalizations at only 1500  - deaths down to a mere 210 in the last week.   

And at least some cachers think they should start being enabled and cared for. Geocaching is not a high risk activity for contracting the virus and the efforts to 'flatten the curve' is well under way. A vaccine has been available for a number of months and the most stringent restrictions have been lifted.

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Cached all the way through. If a container had virus on it the sun would kill it or it would be washed off by the rain before someone found it.If it was winter the cold and or snow would do the same. On the trail didn't  wear a mask and stayed away from other people. In fact after getting the two shots, I went caching right after leaving the inoculation site.

Edited by Wacka
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Like much else, that scaremongering about the virus spreading via surface contact has been debunked by science.

 

Feel free to touch caches again, without fear!  (Turn off the TV.)  Doorknobs, subway poles, boxes in the woods - go for it.

 

(Lordy, I need exposure to more germs; keep the immune system in top shape with something to practice on...)

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10 hours ago, Wacka said:

Cached all the way through. If a container had virus on it the sun would kill it or it would be washed off by the rain before someone found it.If it was winter the cold and or snow would do the same. On the trail didn't  wear a mask and stayed away from other people. In fact after getting the two shots, I went caching right after leaving the inoculation site.

We found a cache a couple of hundred feet from the door of the clinic after the second shot.

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