RETURN TO PLAY FAQ

The Government guidance for leisure facilities states “Courts and halls can remain open for use as long as the activities can be modified in such a way that social distancing can be maintained throughout the activity. Squash Wales will often provide specific guidance on how their sport can be played or adapted to enable social distancing which must be followed.”
We therefore recommend a modified/adapted version of the game which complies with social distancing measures.

Yes if you follow each venues guideline.

Yes if players are in the same household or their extended household, they can play a normal game of Squash.

An extended household is the how the Welsh Government https://gov.wales/guidance-extended-
households-coronavirus has introduced what is known in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland as “support bubbles” – an idea first introduced in New Zealand. It is designed to help families reunite and help support those with care needs.
A household means a group of the same people all sharing the same home. It could be a family living together, flatmates in the same property, or even individuals renting rooms in the same house.
There is no restriction on the number of people in a household – as long as they are always the same people.
An extended household is when two of those households come together as one.
For example, two grandparents could agree to become part of an extended household with their daughter and her partner and children.
The two households could then visit each other as much as they wish, go indoors, and even stay overnight. There are restrictions – and it could mean some tough choices for individuals.
The main rule is this: Once you join an extended household – you cannot join another.
If it is our grandparents enjoying Sunday lunch with their daughter and grandchildren at the family home, those same grandparents cannot then decide they want to join with another family member next week.
They cannot decide they are ditching the daughter for their favourite son. Once you are in an extended household, there is no swapping members – you have to stick with your original choice.

No you can only have 2 people on a court at any one time. Clubs will have a maximum number of people allowed on site at any one time and sticking to 2 people to a court helps them manage this important element of the guidance.

The club/venue and those using the facilities should always follow the Governments guidelines as a minimum. Currently wearing face masks isn’t stated in the Governments guidelines and players shouldn’t wear face masks if they are exercising. However, if coaches wish to wear a face mask they should do so, and they should be prepared to wear one if players ask them to.

Your club/venue will need to identify staff/volunteers/coaches/responsible members who will be at the club/venue and can ensure the relevant safety measures are adhered to.
This could mean reducing opening hours to open only when you can arrange for someone to be at the club or starting a rota system for those who are willing to take on this responsibility (responsible members). Clubs/venues should ensure that those who take on this role are fully aware of and take responsibility for ensuring players are adhering to the guidelines. It is also important that clubs/venues inform all members of the safety measures they must adhere to and the disciplinary process for anyone who breaches the new guidelines/rules. Members should only be allowed to play
once they have confirmed they have read and agree to these measures.

We strongly advise that if your club wishes to re-open from 10th August that they follow our guidance as our guidance is based on the Government guidance for leisure facilities. All squash clubs and venues have a duty of care to create the safest possible environment for players and the squash
workforce. The Government guidance clearly states “As an employer or as an operator of sports or leisure facility, you also have a legal responsibility to protect workers, volunteers, customers and users from risk to their health and safety. This means you need to think about the risks they face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them”.

In the interest of keeping other members and the wider community safe we would advise that you take appropriate disciplinary action. This could mean suspension or cancellation of their membership. All members should be made aware of the consequences of not adhering to the club’s guidelines in advance of attending.

The Government is asking organisations of all types to keep a record of customer and visitor information for a limited time period for the purposes of a COVID-19 contact tracing scheme known as Track, Trace and Protect Service (TTPS). Clubs/venues participating in TTPS should understand
their responsibilities in collecting and handling the data they collect for this purpose.

Yes if you organise any activity, team matches, club nights, tournaments but not needed for playing between two players.

Yes, they are along with email the preferred contact details needed.

Squash Wales will need to be satisfied that guidance has been received, understood, acknowledged and applied by the club. This may be because Squash Wales has a high degree of faith and trust in the club or possibly Squash Wales may talk through the arrangements with the club Coronavirus Officer. There is no exact answer to the question other than Squash Wales must be comfortable that the guidance has been implemented.

If a club organises any activity, team matches, club nights, coaching sessions, tournaments they will need to have a coronavirus officer regardless of where any activities take place. This is a very clear point in the guidance, and I would recommend that all clubs appoint someone. This is also a
good way of ensuring that the correct information comes from a single source instead of many voices adding to the pool of thinking.

In general terms you need to check with your insurance company. There are many risks that will not be covered such as loss of revenue due to the pandemic but in general, your public liability cover should still be in place. It is very important that you CHECK this as there may be exceptions.

If you allow members to book a facility to turn up and play (within guidelines) then it is not really ‘organising an activity’. Organising an activity includes team matches, club nights, coaching sessions, tournaments. In this case, if a record is kept of who has used the facility and when, along with having contact details, this should suffice.

The most important point is should the Test, Trace and Protect Service get in touch, you need to be able to quickly provide the relevant information to them whilst keeping the information secure.
Whatever works best for you to achieve this objective is OK.

If the leisure centre has organised the coaching then it is their responsibility to meet the requirements of the guidance and not the club’s.

Your insurance company will handle any claims under your public liability about Covid or any other claim arising from an activity. To help with claim handling they will find evidence of attendance useful. It will also help the insurer to assess whether the risk originated from the club’s activity or
elsewhere. The insurer is best placed to advise on this. NB: public liability cover is still in place – this has been confirmed with Watkin Davies.

Yes, it is still the responsibility of the club captain to keep a register of their players. It may be a dual responsibility, but the club should ensure that it is operating any activity in line with guidance. It is never wise to rely upon another organisation to fulfil your own legal duties.