COVID-19

As a club member, please make yourself familiar with the way that curling will be different this season. Below is a summary of the key points, with the full documents available at the bottom of this page for your reference. We will continue to update this page should there be any changes.

Health

1. Please ensure we have an accurate phone number and email address available in case we need to pass this information onto the NHS for the Test and Trace programme in the event of a participant testing positive for Covid-19.  We will need to determine who is present in each session to support this tracking process.
2. If you feel unwell or exhibit any of the key symptoms for Covid-19 such as a high temperature, a new and persistent cough or a loss/change in sense of smell/taste,  please refrain from participating in team sports as this is a risk to players in your team and the wider group of players at the rink.
3. If you come into contact with someone who tests positive for Covid and are contacted to self-isolate, please do so, and let them know if you have been curling recently.  Please ask them to reach out to Club Secretary so that we can send on details of those who were present during the sessions you attended.

Arriving at the rink

1. Please try to arrive at the rink within 15 minutes of the start time of the league game.   
2. There are likely to be public sessions before the league games, and the rink equipment will need to be cleansed before the games can be played, along with the previous customers leaving the rink.
3. We appreciate several players travel significant distances to reach the rink, so if you find yourself arriving early, please remain in your vehicles until close to the start time to minimise any risk.
4. Please use the hand sanitiser (if available) when you arrive at the rink.
5. Please arrive changed and ready for play wherever possible.   We would like to minimise the number of participants in the changing room at any one time.  Curling shoes can be changed in the main lounge to provide more space for those that do need to change into curling clothes.
6. If you own your own broom/delivery aids, please bring these with you to prevent any contamination by using shared equipment.
7. If you intend to bring water bottles into the rink, please ensure these are not shared and are clearly labelled/distinguishable from others.
8. Spectators are not permitted in the lounge during games – they must remain in their vehicles, or leave the rink and return later.
9. A face covering should be worn at all times whilst at the rink.

Playing the game

There are some adjustments to the rules to cater for social distancing during the game.

1. No shaking of hands at beginning or end of games.  Good sportsmanship can be acknowledged verbally.
2. Maximum of one sweeper at all times.
3. Of the two players who would normally sweep, one player should stand to the side of the sheet, while the other sweeps from the hog line at the throwing end.  
4. All players should maintain a distance of two metres of the sweeper.
5. There is to be no sweeping of an opposition stone behind the tee line, and the opposition skip should remain behind the hack when their opponents stone is in motion.
6. Refrain from shouting or loud calling when in proximity of others.  Minimise the loud calling for line of sweeping.  Opposing skips should distance themselves from the curling skip.
7. Participants should avoid touching the handle of stones thrown by other players.
8. For the scoreboard, a single player (most likely the vice from one of the two teams) will need to be designated at the start of the game as the score keeper, and only they place the scores on the board.

After the game

1. Please maintain government mandated social distancing for any social interaction.
2. As our leagues are typically the last session of the day it is unlikely that there will be a group arriving after ours.
3. Please follow the advice from Fenton’s on how the lounge can be used for post game interactions.

Competitions

1. For competitions that we run at Fenton’s the guidelines noted above will be adhered to.

In the event that an ECA competition is held at Fenton’s, the ECA guidelines will be followed by these competitions

Documents: