Covid-19
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Our Covid-19 Policy
The club regularly checks and follows Public Health guidelines set by Government, local authority and the LTA and regularly evaluates its policies and procedures to manage the risks which have arisen as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic in order to ensure the well-being of staff and all members, adult and junior.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, robust procedures have been put in place to manage the club and all of its facilities, ensuring compliance with Health, Safety and Hygiene requirements.
The club is certified by Kirklees as complying with the government’s guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19 by taking the following 5 steps to safer working together:
• Carrying out a COVID-19 risk assessment and sharing the results with the staff
• Having cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures in line with guidance
• Taking all reasonable steps to help people work from home
• Taking all reasonable steps to maintain a 2m distance in the workplace
• Doing everything practical to manage transmission risk where people cannot be 2m apart
Managers, staff, directors and members have a responsibility to keep themselves and others safe and are advised to keep aware of updates and communications. The club will continue to respond appropriately to any changes that are required both nationally and regionally and to keep members and staff fully informed.
Contact details and a record of attendance will be kept up-to-date to assist with track and trace. Data protection procedures will be maintained or amended where necessary whilst delivering activities virtually; data will be shared only for reasons of specific public health concerns. Awareness of Safeguarding online associated with online delivered activities will remain a priority.
The full policy and procedures can be accessed on the website and in the HR manual. Procedures affecting staff will be detailed in the staff handbook.
The club will keep the policy and the detailed procedures under regular review.
Our Coronavirus/COVID-19 Procedures
Using information from gov.uk and sport England/ LTA the club has complied with seven steps to protect members, staff and visitors during the coronavirus pandemic by:
1. Completing a detailed COVID-19 risk assessment which has been shared with all our staff and those who rent outside court
space.
2. Cleaning more often especially surfaces that are being touched a lot, including equipment, as well as asking our members,
staff and visitors to use hand sanitiser and wash their hands frequently.
3. Requiring our members, staff and customers to wear face coverings indoors or where required to do so by law. We do not
require face coverings when exercising.
4. Making sure everyone is social distancing by putting up signs, introducing a one-way system that our members and visitors
can follow and following other published guidance on social distancing rules, including for parents and spectators.
5. Increasing ventilation by keeping doors and windows open where possible; limiting occupancy of indoor facilities.
6. Taking part in NHS Test and Trace by keeping a record of all our members and customers for 21 days.
7. Making sure that people with coronavirus symptoms stay away. If a member, staff member (or someone in their household) or
a visitor has a persistent cough, a high temperature or has lost their sense of taste or smell, they should be self-isolating.
Regular updates and advice have been issued in e-mails and members can make themselves aware of updates on LTA guidelines, including return to play after lockdowns, as well as local rules for different tiers and restrictions as they may impact on travel and socialising with people from other households.
As primary control for minimising transmission through contact is through handwashing, sufficiently frequent washing and avoiding sharing of objects, we have:
1. Provided handwashing and hand sanitiser throughout the site, including entry and exit points in the clubhouse, the indoor and outdoor courts,
the gym and studio and encouraged members, staff and customers to wash their hands regularly.
2. Removed benches from the indoor and outdoor courts.
3. Left entry and exit doors and gates open during playing hours.
4. Sanitised tables and chairs in the cafés after use.
5. Provided sanitising sprays and blue roll for members to clean fitness equipment before and after use.
6. Asked fitness members to bring their own equipment to studio classes if possible.
7. Set aside designated time slots in the gym and studio for deep cleaning.
8. Taken the booking kiosk out of use and asked members to use on-line booking.
9. Closed the changing rooms to prevent use of lockers and access to the saunas.
10. Regularly cleaned and sanitised the toilet areas, including the disabled toilet.
11. Limited the number of people in the toilet areas to no more than 2 and rotated available toilets twice a day.
12. Left open the doors leading to toilet facilities, the office, the gym and the studio.
13. Reminded members, staff, customers and contractors, when appropriate, of the need to maintain social distancing and avoid contact.
14. Requested contactless payments where possible.
In order to ensure required social distancing and avoidance of contact throughout our facilities we have followed published COVID-secure guidance:
1. Put in place a one-way system in all areas of the club, indoor and outdoor, reinforced by signage clearly indicating the direction of flow.
2. Designated entry and exit points for each section of the club, reinforced by signage, to reduce congestion.
3. Reduced the number of people entering the clubhouse by informing members, customers and contractors of guidance about visiting the
premises prior to and at the point of arrival.
4. Erected screens in reception and the indoor café to protect staff, members and customers.
5. Used signage to limit the number of people waiting in reception or at the bar.
6. Encouraged outdoor table service.
7. Used disposable products where possible for example for serving hot drinks.
8. Asked members and customers who are ordering in the café to sit and be served at a table when restrictions require.
9. Ensured that water fountains are used only to refill personal bottles or containers.
10. Encouraged members to arrive in sports kit and travel home to change/shower.
11. Limited the number of people in the gym to 6, with bookable one-hour slots, and in the studio to 10, with 2 metre square personal space marked
on the studio floor and a larger area for instructors.
12. Taken some pieces of gym equipment out of use, clearly marked with visible tape.
13. Complied with requirements regarding the numbers of people who can be on the same tennis court, reducing the number of members who can
book coached social tennis sessions, including cardio tennis, and designated clear positions for coaches and instructors to provide instruction,
advice and guidance.
14. Ensured that staff and members wear face coverings where mandated.
15. Avoided meeting in the office and sanitised all surfaces that may be contacted by different people.
16. Complied with the requirement to limit social interaction before and after activities and closed the café/bar at 10p.m.
We have engaged with returning visiting instructors and volunteers, including football trainers/coaches, to induct them on one-way systems and location of sanitisers, ensure that participants leaving areas to go to the toilet follow the one-way system, wash hands thoroughly and re-sanitise when entering the area again.
We have requested that all football training and coaching is carried out within the guidelines set by the FA and that all goalposts and gate handle areas are sanitised by the coaching staff prior and post training.
In order to reduce risk to staff to the lowest reasonably practicable level we have taken preventative measures specified in detailed risk assessments for every area of the club so that everybody’s health and safety is protected. The relevant sections of the risk assessment have been issued to staff responsible for those areas.
Because of the potential for increased risk from aerosol and droplet transmission, we have ensured that steps are taken to avoid people needing to unduly raise their voices to each other, including refraining from playing music or broadcasts that may encourage shouting or that makes normal conversation difficult.
In order to reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings, we have used virtual meetings where possible and attended meetings only when absolutely necessary and, in such cases have maintained government guided social distancing.
In order to prioritise safety during incidents such as an accident, provision of first aid, fire or break in, people will not be required to stay appropriately distanced if it would be unsafe but they should pay particular attention to sanitisation measures immediately afterwards, including washing hands.
Staff, members, spectators, visitors and contractors should undergo a pre-attendance self-assessment for any COVID19 symptoms using the information on the NHS website before leaving home.
No-one should leave home if they, or someone they live with, has symptoms of COVID -19, currently recognised as any of the following: – A high temperature – A new, continuous cough – A loss of, or change to, their sense of smell or taste. Should an individual have demonstrated any such symptoms, they must stay home
We will continue to ensure that members, visitors and spectators are regularly informed of requirements for use of the clubhouse, tennis courts and fitness facilities and keep notices and signage up-to-date.
