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Returning to Indoor Bowls - 31 July 2020

We were advised on Friday 24th July, by the English Indoor Bowling Association, that from July 25th 2020 the Government, through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, would allow indoor bowling to resume, but this would be under strictly controlled conditions. Fundamentally all clubs must be Covid-secure before re-opening.

To help us achieve this, the EIBA provided a Returning to Indoor Bowls Guidance document. Some of the measures we need to put in place are:

• Put in place social distancing measures both inside and outside the club
• Changing rooms closed – players come dressed ready to play and changing into shoes at the side of the rink.
• Toilets open but limit access to one person at a time.
• Hand sanitisers readily available throughout the club.
• Limit the number of people on site.
• Pre-book rinks – no turn-up and play.
• Keep a register of players for NHS Test and Trace.
• Reduce the number sessions and allow more time between sessions.
• Ensure that the ventilation meets the requirements specified.
• Limit the handling of cash, by introducing a voucher pre-payment system, and pay by credit or debit card.
• A system of disinfecting shared equipment such as mats and jacks.
• Players wearing face covering.

To address all these measures the Club has set up a small working party to study the requirements in detail, together with introducing systems to meet them.  

As you can see, in what we all hope will be the short-term, indoor bowling will be very different from the pre-covid lockdown.

The working party had its first meeting, and devised ways to ensure the club meets the Covid-secure requirements. We shall start to put these measures in place over the next few weeks.

Thanks to all those that responded to the survey. It has provided valuable information about your concerns. It has also given us the confidence to continue to put the Covid-secure measures in place. We are pleased to say that the majority indicated that they are very likely to resume indoor bowling. With regard to the start date, the results so far are:

 43% - September

 22% - October

 7% - November

 28% - Other (mainly in the new year)

So, it seems likely that, assuming things don’t change, that the indoor green will re-open in September.

We will keep you all informed of developments by issuing another newsletter prior to re-opening.

Following the prime minister’s statement on Friday 31 July about slowing down the easing of some of the measures introduced during lock-down, we have been assured by the EIBA that these current measures do not apply to indoor bowling.

Return to Indoor Bowling

From Monday, August 31 indoor bowling will resume at Honiton Bowling Club on a controlled and limited basis with just two rinks available for each session and games limited to a maximum of triples. Measures are in place to make the club as Covid secure as possible , see the club newsletter for details.

There will be three daily sessions which will be: 10:00 -12:30, 13:30 -16:00 and 18:00 to 20:30, thus giving at least one hour for change over. Players need to arrive not more than 15 minutes before the session, and at the end of the session leave the club immediately.

Friendly matches have been cancelled up to the new Year when the situation will be reviewed.