In light of Thursday’s Government announcement and subsequent LTA advice https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/tennis-news/news-and-opinion/general-news/2020/march/coronavirus-covid-19—latest-advice/ we are now able to lift some of the restrictions on the use of the courts. In particular, we are able to resume playing doubles and group coaching now that up to 6 members of different households can meet in the open air, providing social distancing remains in place. Your Management Team has decided to open all courts for play from 4 June 2020. Courts must be booked in advance and you must provide your own tennis balls. Ad hoc play is not allowed. The organised sessions will be reinstated over the next couple of weeks. In the interests of the health and safety of our members all our buildings will remain closed and must not be used except by authorised members for operational purposes such as collecting balls and turning on floodlights. The practice wall will remain out of use as a courtesy to our neighbours

The guidelines for booking courts can be found at Court Booking 3 June 2020

Please read the updated version of the guidelines attached at the end of this newsletter. 

Remember, for this to work 

• social distancing must be maintained.
• you must wash your hands at home before and after playing
• you must bring hand sanitiser with you to the club and use it as required after touching shared surfaces

Above all, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 (a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) or you have been in close contact with someone who has, you must stay away from the Club until you have completed self-isolation or have been tested and are all clear. Please note it is your responsibility to take all the recommended precautions to avoid catching the COVID-19 virus or passing it on to others and if you visit the Club it is at your own risk.

Organised Sessions

Your Management Team has decided that organised sessions can be reinstated, but there will need to be some changes to facilitate this and protect the health and safety of us all. We will be liaising with the organisers to implement the changes:

• Attendance at the sessions will need to be arranged in advance e.g. rotas and WhatsApp groups. To manage numbers and keep track of attendees ad hoc attendance is not allowed
• Only groups of up to 6 people can play or congregate in the open air providing social distancing is maintained. This means we can play doubles, but only with 5 other people during a session
• In the interests of health and safety, new balls must be used for each session. For club sessions where usable balls would normally be provided free, there will be a charge of £1.25 per player per session. To eliminate small cash transactions, members will be expected to pay by BACs at the end of each month for the balls they have used
• Floodlights when required during club sessions will be provided free of charge until the end of July
• Consideration will be given by the organisers to bring forward start times by 30 minutes
• Gloves, disinfectant and a cloth will be available in the club house for those authorised to access to use to clean any common surfaces they touch as required

Compliance

Apart from the need to safeguard ourselves, we need to be seen to be complying with the guidance by others, and especially our neighbours. WE EXPECT ALL MEMBERS ONSITE TO ADHERE TO THE RULES AT ALL TIMES. BE RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS AND ENJOY YOUR TENNIS

Feedback

We will be reviewing theses arrangements regularly and in light of any further changes to the Government and LTA guidance. We would welcome your feedback on how they are working for you

Your Purley Bury Management Team

 

Tennis at Purley Bury during the COVID-19 Pandemic

THE GUIDELINES BELOW ARE SET OUT FOR YOUR SAFETY AND WE EXPECT ALL MEMBERS ONSITE TO ADHERE TO THE RULES AT ALL TIMES. BE RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS AND ENJOY YOUR TENNIS  

BEFORE LEAVING HOME & AFTER YOU RETURN

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before leaving home to go to the court (or use an alcohol gel if washing hands is not possible)

COURT BOOKINGS

Ensure you have booked a court in advance. Slots can be booked for 1 hour or 2 hours and should be booked on the hour from 9am. Should your plans change, please remember to cancel your booking on the system as soon as possible so the time becomes available for others.

Players are asked to leave the court 5-10 minutes before the end of your playing session and players arriving are asked to arrive NOT before your allocated time. If you have problems accessing the PBTC court booking system PLEASE CONTACT Sarah Wilson at: sarahcrid@talktalk.net

EQUIPMENT

Take hand sanitiser with you

Use your own equipment where possible. Equipment such as rackets can be shared, but where this happens ensure thorough cleaning before and after use. Players should not share items such as towels.

Only take the minimum amount of equipment with you that you need to play

Clean and wipe down your equipment, including rackets and water bottles before and after use   Bring a full water bottle, and do not share food or drink with others

Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session and do not leave anything on court

TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE COURT

Avoid using public transport and arrive as close as possible to when you need to be there

Use alcohol gel after touching any court gates, fences, benches etc, and avoid doing so where possible

Allow others to leave before you enter the court – if you need to wait then do so away from the courts and clear of the gates. 

Ensure you leave the court before the end of your allotted time so that it is empty for the next players

Please access courts 4 & 5 via the gate by the car park, and courts 1, 2 and 3 via the gate by the tea room

Arrive changed and ready to play. Shower at home. 

Avoid congregating on or around the court after playing to allow access for others

COURT LIMITS

Both singles play and doubles play is now permitted with people from outside of your household, as long as you remain 2 metres apart as far as possible – meaning that four people from different households can now play doubles

Coached sessions should be limited to groups of no more than 6 people, including the coach(es)

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING

Stay at least two metres away from other players at all times (including during play, when taking breaks and before and after play)

Do not make physical contact with other players (such as shaking hands or high five)

Avoid chasing the ball down to another court if other players are using it

For doubles, consider agreeing in advance which player will take the shot if a ball travels to the centre of the court

EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES

Players do not now need to use their own clearly marked tennis balls – however, if you choose to use shared balls then extra care must be taken to ensure you do not touch your face during play, and you should clean your hands before play and immediately after finishing (use alcohol gel if required)

Players should still avoid using their hands to pick up tennis balls from other courts where possible – use your racquet/foot to return them

Avoid using other equipment such as courtside benches, net handles or court sweepers where possible

All the Club’s buildings are closed and in the interests of your safety must not be used except by authorised members for operational purposes such as collecting balls and turning on floodlights

HYGIENE

Hand hygiene is imperative – use alcohol gel to clean your hands after touching a shared surface

If you need to sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue or upper sleeve. 

Avoid touching your face

SUPERVISION

Where attendance of a parent/guardian(non-participant) is required, or a carer for a disabled player, it is permitted and is not counted as part of the maximum group size of six, but should be off court and limited to one per player where possible, with social distancing strictly observed while watching the sessions