Hi All,
I am sure you are all keeping up with the current situation. British Canoeing released a statement late last night cancelling all British Canoeing Events until at least the end of April 2020. https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news/2020/british-canoeing-coronavirus-covid-19-update This may have been a little premature given that schools etc are still fully open but they were thinking of big events with people travelling from all around the country. Last night we cancelled all pool sessions going forward until the end of April. Members spent some time returning boats to the docks ready for May. Our junior club will be suspended for the time being but hopefully will return to the Docks on the 5th May 2020 as normal.
For our outside events (Docks / paddles etc) we intend to continue as normal for now until more specific advice is given. Members should still continue to follow good practise, refrain from any unnecessary contact and try to keep 2 meters space between people / paddlers. Fortunately, this is relatively easy to do in a canoe however we probably should not hand out any food or cake etc. Any no rules polo should now be no contact polo!
In addition to the above, advice is not to spend more than 15 minutes talking or socialising with others even with the 2 meters rule so you should return home soon after the session. Members may also wish to take their own 99.9% hand sanitiser or fresh water and soap to wash their hands before and after the session. It goes without saying that if you or your family have any of the symptom’s or you are in a high risk group (over 70 or with underlying health problems) your should not attend any club session.
All paddles and docks sessions will be dependent on a key holder or supervisor running the session and members need to understand that an organiser may need to self-isolate or cannot attend at the last moment and there may be nobody to open the compound or run the session. If that is the case we will try to let members know but obviously if the compound is not opened by a key holder the session will be cancelled and you should not then go on the water.