I hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Following advice from Public Health England and the LTA we have now taken the decision that all group coaching sessions will now be cancelled with immediate effect. Along with this we have now enforced a full closure of the club house, including the changing rooms and toilets.
Ben and Zaheed are still offering individual coaching sessions to both senior and junior members. If you would like to contact them to arrange this their contact details are as follows:
Ben – 07723 331777
Zaheed – 07421 237390
I would stress that the courts are still open and are available to use. Getting out to play tennis in our current situation can been very beneficial both physically and mentally but we have to ensure this is done in the safest possible way.
At the bottom of this email there is a link to the full LTA statement, but please find a summary below which I would kindly ask all members to adhere to:
Please bring your own hand sanitisers and use both before and after play
Use online booking for courts. Do not arrive to play tennis without booking a court
A buffer period is to be implemented between court booking slots to allow time for players to leave before next players arrive. I would ask members to arrive 5-10 minutes after your booking time to ensure there is time for the players beforehand to leave the club
Activity should only take place where travel to and from the courts can be done in a way compliant with social distancing advice, with players not travelling together unless they are part of a group residing in the same place
Activity should be in line with the Government’s advised social distancing measures at all times(defined by Public Health England as spending no more than 15 minutes within a 2-metre distance of someone), including when arriving to and departing from a court
If you are not confident that you can adhere to the social distancing guidance when undertaking tennis, please do not play
Players are advised not to change ends during play
Ensure no physical contact during warm-ups, during play or at any time. This includes handshakes, high fives, touching elbows etc. A 2 metre distance must be maintained.
Full LTA statement: https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/tennis-news/news-and-opinion/general-news/2020/march/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-venues/
Apologies if these measures seem harsh, but these are made with the best interests of all members in mind.
Personally I would urge all members to please listen to the advice provided by the government and Public Health England. These are difficult times but if everyone can make sensible decisions to help each other then we can hopefully get through this sooner rather than later. Please do stay safe and look after yourselves and each other.
Best wishes
Martin
Chairman
OGTC
