Northants Bar Billiards Statement – COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – UPDATE – 24th June 2020
Dear friends,
I hope you are all keeping well.
It has been such a long time since we have been able to meet, socialise and enjoy our wonderful game. We are thrilled that many of you have remained engaged with our Virtual Jim Wilson or weekly Monday Night Zoom quizzes. Be assured that we will continue to run these types of activities for as long as we remain restricted and we’d love to see more people get involved.
Since the last statement much has changed, restrictions have loosened however many people are still impacted by the immediate and severe threat of the virus. Our venues will soon open but with changed ways of working and we are yet to understand the implications for our league and our game.
As a result the committee has taken the difficult decision end almost all playing activity for the 2019/20 season. With regret, all competitions, the Northants Masters event, Jim Wilson and Grand Finals Day have been cancelled. In addition, there will not be a Summer League in 2020.
Whilst significant and disappointing, we feel strongly that this is in the best interest of our members to take these decisions.
To be clear, once it becomes apparent that a resumption of activity does not put any member at undue risk, we will seek to do so. This may mean that we devise some new approaches to the game which will enable, as far as possible, social distancing. Whilst these changes may alter how match evenings feel, they may be necessary to preserve our league activity and so we consider any measure taken to be an essential element for the safeguarding of our league.
Earlier this year we set out very clearly that when we resume activity, the completion of the two outstanding league matches will take precedence over the start of a subsequent league. This remains the case. As such, the previous ‘optimistic’ timetable has been revised – with the cancellation of the events noted above. We are now planning to complete the outstanding league matches on Monday 7th September with a view to commencing the 2020/21 season on Monday 28th September 2020.
The revised schedule can now be seen in the league calendar.
To reiterate our previous statement – about which we are absolutely committed – once we are able to resume we will be ready and very eager to do so.
For now, we have spoken to some of our host venues to seek to understand their ability to accommodate play and over the coming weeks we will encourage league members to play and support those venues in accordance with any safety measures they may require. It will, of course, be somewhat easier in pubs like The Red Lion or the Rose & Crown where they have considerably greater ownership of their operations. Where at all possible we may even arrange some friendly matches.
In the coming weeks we will contact you all to get a clearer picture of your views and to discuss the various options for how we resume activity – your input is essential.
As ever, we would like to urge all members to take care of one another and your families. Stay in touch regularly with your teammates and friends within our league community. With our social interactions extremely curtailed, make use of technology to stay in touch and keep a close eye on our news page for updates to stay informed.
With very best wishes,
Northants Bar Billiards Committee
COVID-19 advice
Information about the virus
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus. The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 2 and 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, it is unlikely that they have been infected.
Symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a cough
- a high temperature, and
- shortness of breath
- loss of smell or taste
However, if you have these symptoms it does not necessarily mean you have the illness. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu. Further, you may have contracted COVID-19 and yet be asymptomatic.
You must stay at home if you have coronavirus symptoms
Stay at home if you have any of the symptoms above.
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.
Testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home.
How long to stay at home
- If you have symptoms, stay at home for 7 days
- If you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms
If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days.
If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible.
Read the NHS advice about staying at home.
Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:
- you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
- your condition gets worse
- your symptoms do not get better after 7 days
Use the 111 coronavirus service
Only call 111 if you cannot get help online
Anyone who has been confirmed as being in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case will need to speak to their Local Health Protection team to confirm if they also need to self-isolate. Please visit the .Gov website for the contact details of your Local Health Protection team.
The following guidance, which was issued for people returning from Category 1 or 2 countries/areas pre-13 March 2020, is still active:
- Anyone returning from a Category 1 country/area within the last 14 days must self-isolate for 14 days after they return, and
- anyone returning from a Category 2 country/area within the last 14 days must self-isolate if they develop symptoms.
The .Gov website provides up-to-date information on Category 1 and 2 countries/areas.
How it is spread & preventing the spread of infection
The spread of COVID-19 is most likely to happen when there is close contact (within 2 metres) with an infected person. These are some of the things you can do to help stop viruses like coronavirus spreading:
DO
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
- Put used tissues in the bin immediately.
- Wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
- Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
DON’T
- touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
