Over the weekend the UK Government announced a lockdown in England from Thursday 5th November to Wednesday 2nd December. The government has advised people to work at home where possible, avoid social contact and non-essential travel.
Yesterday, we, along with other NGB’s were briefed by Sport England and UK Sport. The key messages that we received were;
- All indoor facilities, including gymnastics clubs, should prepare to close as of Thursday 5th November
- With regards to elite training, we are still able to continue under the current elite training guidelines
The Government will meet on Wednesday to vote on the formal bill to pass these lockdown restrictions, which we have been told will have no exemptions for any sport or participant groups.
In some previous Government announcements on lockdown and restrictions, last minute changes have been made to the guidelines and caused confusion for some. As a result, we will wait to give the instruction advising our clubs to close until after the bill passes in Parliament on Wednesday.
This news is incredibly disappointing. We know the gymnastics community has done everything to make the sport safe. And while we know the health benefits that our sport brings, the number of cases of Covid-19 continue to rise across the country. The increased pressure on the NHS means we must do our bit to keep everyone safe.