Following on from our communication on the 9th June, we just wanted to get in touch with you all and make you aware of a few things... We as a Federation are working with a number of third parties and Governing Bodies to establish when we are allowed to return to our Dojo's and training - please note that this is our number one priority for everyone.
At the moment this is still not possible, and again we are looking into this and will update you all when it is clear and we are able to answer your questions. The latest information from Sport England and the Government Guidelines is the following Statement:
Can indoor sports include close-contact sports, like karate/judo/gymnastics etc.?
For close-contact sports specifically, the government is advising that these are not resumed yet due to the increased risks of transmission of Covid-19, because of the proximity of participants and contact between them.
Discussions are under way with close-contact sports and others on how they can safely return.
We are also looking into the guidelines for Wales and Scotland, it maybe that some clubs / countries will be able to return before others, but please note that there is still a Suspension on all Training within SKIF-GB until further notice. We as a Federation are also looking at Risk Assessments for all Clubs, Instructors and Students so that when we are able return - everyone will have a clear, concise plan and guidance to follow as the bare minimum. We are doing everything we can to get clubs back up and running as soon as possible. However, as you can appreciate Guidelines are constantly changing and we want to ensure we are giving you the most up to date information. The current guidelines for training in Gyms at the moment is as follows:
5. Ventilation of indoor gym and leisure facilitiesAir extraction and ventilation measures
Ventilation is an important part of mitigating against the transmission of COVID-19. Ventilation into the building should be optimised to ensure a fresh air supply is provided to all areas of the facility and increased wherever possible. Particular attention should be given to areas where high intensity exercise activity takes place.
To achieve this, specific measures should be implemented:
- he maximum occupancy of each indoor facility should be limited by providing a minimum of 100sqft per person. For this figure, the area is the net useable indoor facility space available to members to use, including changing rooms, toilet and wash facilities. Reducing capacity in this way whilst sustaining ventilation flows, will increase the typical current 10l/s/p flow rate of ventilation to at least 20l/s/p, as fewer people are being served by the ventilation system.
- Ventilation systems should provide 100% fresh air and not recirculate air from one space to another.
Whilst we have only be practising Kihon and Kata online, this is still not deemed to be acceptable to return to the Dojo and train in that way. This is obviously very frustrating and we are asking for further Guidance on this from the relevant regulating authorities, if non contact training can resume at the earliest opportunity. We will of course keep you updated with any changes to this guidance, in the mean time, stay safe, and look after yourselves.