A Return to Squash II

Dear Members

Further to our last message issued on the 18th July there has been more detailed guidance this week from England Squash with regard to clubs re-opening which means a delay to our plans such that we now look to re-open the Club in a limited way w/c 3 AUGUST, after we have assimilated the results of our survey (please see below and fill in as soon as possible).

We will all have to follow a new set of guidelines in order to meet the requirements of the squash governing body and the UK government. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will force us to close the Club again.

The only types of squash that are permitted are:

Members from the same household or support bubble: full squash game (only 2 on court and no extra players to be waiting around in lobby or upstairs lounge)
Individuals: single player (solo) practice
Two members from different households (not in a support bubble): modified version of squash "sides". There is a good video on how to play "sides" at: https://www.englandsquash.com/backtosquash. No extra players to be waiting around in the lobby or upstairs lounge and no group "round robin" sessions.

The Club will do its part with appropriate cleaning regimes and to provide and maintain hand sanitiser, wipes, sprays etc but members will also have a responsibility. The primary and most effective step to reducing risk of transmission of Covid-19 for squash clubs is to promote personal hygiene to the individuals participating. This means introducing and enforcing a range of actions for members, including:

Hand hygiene – members must use hand sanitizer before entering the court.
Do not touch the walls or court floor – this rule will be strictly imposed. If a player accidentally touches a wall or court floor they should stop and immediately sanitize their hands.
Only one person to open/close the court door – only one player going on court should touch the door.
Only one person to touch the ball – only one player should touch the ball throughout the duration of play.

England Squash comment:

Your club/venue will need to identify staff/volunteers/coaches/responsible members who will be at the club/venue and can ensure the relevant safety measures are adhered to.This could mean reducing opening hours to open only when you can arrange for someone to be at the club or starting a rota system for those who are willing to take on this responsibility (responsible members). Clubs/venues should ensure that those who take on this role are fully aware of, and take responsibility for ensuring players are adhering to the guidelines. It is also important that clubs/venues inform all members of the safety measures they must adhere to and the disciplinary process for anyone who breaches the new guidelines/rules. Members should only be allowed to play once they have confirmed they have read and agree to these measures.

If someone breaks the rules:
In the interest of keeping other members and the wider community safe, we would advise that you take appropriate disciplinary action. This could mean suspension or cancellation of their membership. All members should be made aware of the consequences of not adhering to the club’s guidelines in advance of attending.

As a first step we are looking at opening the Club say 2-3 times per week for controlled sessions overseen by responsible volunteers through August. Outside of these sessions the court lighting/meters will be off. Once we see how many members wish to return and play under these conditions we can look to moving to a second option of making all players responsible by signing a Return to Squash Declaration that they will adhere to the guidelines including playing only restricted squash, signing in/out of building, using hand sanitiser and wiping down common surfaces upon leaving the court.

Ahead of the re-opening there will be a short survey issued to assess the number of players that will return in August. Please copy and paste this link to participate:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZMYNJQ5

Please respond as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to return just yet . Based on the survey results we will issue the plans and times for the limited restart. These could be for example 4-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus maybe 1-4pm on Saturdays. Also only one court will be in alternate play during these sessions to allow post game cleaning and air circulation.

Once we have the survey results a further bulletin will be issued for the re-opening, so again please do reply to the survey.

To borrow the words of Doctor McCoy in Star Trek "It's squash Jim, but not as we know it" but hopefully the real thing will return in the not too distant future.

The Committee
Maidstone Squash Club

24/07/2020