Covid-19 Guidance and Operating Procedures
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Version 6.0, Reviewed: 1st August 2021
All participants are required to read the Covid-19 guidance outlined below before attending any club activities, and this document will be applied in addition to our normal standard operating procedures.
The priority for the club remains to protect the health and well being of our members and volunteers and help to stop the spread of Covid-19.
All members should continue following the government and public health guidelines in the first instance.
In the last 10 days if any of the following apply you should not participate in activities and remain at home.
- Displayed any Covid-19 symptoms or tested positive for Covid-19
- Someone you live with has displayed any Covid-19 symptoms or tested positive for Covid-19
- You have been in close contact* with anyone who has displayed symptoms or tested positive for Covid-19 or been contacted by the NHS and told you have been in close contact
- You have arrived from England from abroad from a ‘red list’ country, or from an ‘amber list’ country and not been fully vaccinated
*Close contact is either face to face (under 1m) for any given length of time or between 1m and 2m for more than 15mins (including car sharing).
1. About
The following document forms Blackwater Valley Canoe Club’s response, guidance and operating produces to members, in order to control the spread of the virus and has been written in accordance to the following publications.
- Government Covid-19 Spring 2021 Plan (update 22.02.2021)
- British Canoeing Paddling Guidance Update (update 19.07.2021)
2. Risk Assessments
The following risk assessments should be used in addition to all existing club site specific risk assessments for sessions, training, trips and events.
Attending at the Club and partaking in Club activities may subject you to increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 and by taking part in such activities you are accepting this increased risk.
2. Club Communications
Members are reminded that the only authentic communications used for representation of the club and committee are those outlined in our Authenticity Statement.
3. Club Activities
Members are reminded that only activities (i.e. sessions, events, competitions, etc). promoted through our official website www.bvcc.org.uk are considered organised club activities and covered by our club insurance and waterways licence. We ask everyone to book before attending to help us keep to venue capacity limits, ensure adequate volunteer cover and provide faster registration on arrival.
4. Competency
Volunteers/Coaches may wish to limit capacity or competencies for certain sessions or events or may not be comfortable taking out novices or members who they are unfamiliar with and this choice should be respected.
The club committee has the rights to empower coaches, leaders and referees to be deployed to run activities. Internal club training is sufficient when deploying volunteers to run an activity, provided the clubs training process has been followed, to ensure those deployed are competent in the environment they are intending to operate.
Safety qualifications such as first aid and the appropriate rescue training for the activity is still mandatory and should be up to date. If you have any questions, please do get in touch with us on [email protected].
5. Facilities and Waterways
There are no longer any restrictions on use of facilities, however we still encourage you to turn up to sessions and events ready to paddle and respect any venue specific guidance.
Use of club facilities for personal use are not covered by the club insurance, the committee may permit use of facilities for personal use, however you should still follow any specific venue guidance and such activities would be at the individuals own risk.
6. Hand Sanitiser and Cleanliness
Everyone should bring their own hand sanitiser. We still recommend when touching any surfaces or equipment that hands are cleaned thoroughly using hand sanitiser or soap and water.
7. Equipment
The club is permitting use of club equipment provided you follow the clubs hire terms.
You should still avoid sharing equipment where possible and when sharing a craft (crew boat) aim to minimise turning to talk face to face with each other.
Disinfectant sprays will be provided at sessions accommodating larger capacities (20+) should you wish to clean equipment before use.
8. Face Coverings and Masks
Everyone should bring their own mask. Face coverings or masks are no longer required by law, however they are still recommend in crowded or enclosed settings. Respect and be considerate of others who may still wish to wear or would like you to wear a mask in enclosed spaces or in close proximity such as when setting up a craft together.
9. Food and Drink
Individuals should always bring their own food and drink. Water bottles or other refreshment containers should in no circumstances be shared.
10. First Aid and Rescues
Ultimately preservation of human life is always the number one priority, so if a situation does arise you are permitted to conduct first aid where absolute required but contact should be kept to a minimum. We should also aim to avoid injury and the likelihood of capsize and the need to rescue. Everyone should be briefed on how to self rescue. If a rescue situation does arise we should firstly encourage a self rescue before engaging with any support. Volunteers/Coaches may choose not to take members who they have not paddled with before, or in a specific environment such as white water to mitigate rescues and this choice should be respected.
11. Track and Trace
We shall still be keeping a register of who attends each session, please do try and ensure you book before attending to ease the registration process.
For booking issues contact [email protected].
For technical issues such as password resets contact [email protected].
12. Payments
Whilst we can except cash, we would like to encourage everyone where possible to pay in advance by bank transfer or at a minimum pay cash with exact money.
Document History
Version No | Date | Status | Update | Amended By |
1.0 | 23/03/2020 | Final | First Original Published as Statement | Gemma Clements |
2.0 | 03/08/2020 | Final | Revised from Statement to Guidance and Procedures | Gemma Clements / Alex Tripp |
2.1 | 06/08/2020 | Amendment | Amendment for Polo Training | Gemma Clements / Rhys Bryant |
2.2 | 16/09/2020 | Amendment | Amendments to align with Advice Published 15.09.2020. | Gemma Clements |
2.3 | 26/09/2020 | Amendment | Amendments to groups and track and trace to align with Advice Published 24.09.2020. | Gemma Clements |
2.4 | 28/10/2020 | Amendment | Update to allow new members. Align to latest advice on government Teirs. | Gemma Clements |
3.0 | 05/11/2020 | Revised Statement | New statement in alignment with latest Government, NHS and British Canoeing Advice for the new national restrictions from 05.11.2020. | Gemma Clements |
3.1 | 05/11/2020 | Amendment | Add Sports England update and revise Club Kit section | Gemma Clements |
4.0 | 13/12/2020 | New Guidance | Release new Guidance in accordance to latest advice from British Canoeing on 02.12.2020. Align to latest advice on government Tiers. | Gemma Clements |
4.1 | 20/12/2020 | Tier Update | Tier Update Text | Gemma Clements |
4.2 | 05/01/2021 | Revised Statement | New National Restrictions from 05.01.2021 | Gemma Clements |
5.0 | 28/03/2021 | New Guidance | Release new Guidance in accordance to latest advice from British Canoeing on 26.03.2021 | Gemma Clements |
5.1 | 29/03/2021 | Remove contact sport specific group sizes for polo | Revisions from Feedback | Gemma Clements |
5.2 | 18/05/2021 | New Guidance | Release of new Guidance in accordance to latest advice from British Canoeing on 17.05.2021 | Gemma Clements |
5.3 | 20/06/2021 | Few small updates based on last committee meeting | Tweak equipment guidance for bookings and crew craft. Add additional information for indoor spaces. Add a new section about cash payments. | Gemma Clements |
6.00 | 01/08/2021 | New Guidance | Ease of restrictions for 19th July 2021 | Gemma Clements |