Hello everyone
With the updates today from Governments at Westminster & Holyrood around Coronavirus I wanted to re-share the advice from NHS and the key stakeholders.
Before I do that, there are a number of events within the Fencing community which have been postponed, including the World Junior & Cadet Championships and the FIE calendar itself for 30 days. The Foundation for Scottish Fencing Youth Development Series final scheduled for Saturday March 14th has also now been postponed. When anything changes with these or other events we’ll share it and if we haven’t shared it, please let us know or tag us in your own social broadcasts so we can re-share. Our community collaboration is key here and can help maintain a steady flow of information.
The messages from Westminster & Holyrood today informed us all of the next phase of the plan to defend against the impact of coronavirus minimising the peak number of cases. The advice to help central and devolved government remains the same as we shared over a week ago which is –
· Pay scrupulous attention to personal hygiene particularly frequency and intensity of hand washing
· Maintain social distancing of up to 2 meters from other people when appropriate.
New advice from UK Chief Medical Officer and UK Chief Scientific Officer is summarised as
· If you have a new, continuous cough please self-isolate for 7 days
· If you have an increased temperature (above 37.8 Celsius) please self-isolate for 7 days
With the cancellation of Challenge Wratislavia 2020 and postponement until the end of June this has also had a knock-on effect on the stated Youth Home Nations which has now been postponed and is moving to a new date – which is yet to be confirmed.
The entire sporting calendar is in flux and you will see football, rugby and lots of other sports affected – particularly those with large spectator attendances within stadia. The Scottish First Minister has stated gatherings of 500 people and above will be cancelled from Monday 16th March 2020.
Currently, the only Scottish Fencing event still within the calendar for the foreseeable future is the Scottish Schools Championships on June 13 & 14 at Bathgate Academy. If this event is affected we will let you know immediately.
With the First Minister & Prime Minister stating schools, colleges and universities will remain open for now, our reliance on the school and education sector for facility provision means any closures will impact clubs and events for a period of time. We’ll make sure support is available should this happen but as ever, the best solutions in these times are those found collaboratively.
To summarise, please maintain scrupulous personal hygiene – particularly hand washing – and keep an eye on club mates, friends and family. Tag us in your social media if you have any event, club or athlete information to share and we’ll help get the message out there.
Vincent Bryson
Chief Executive
Scottish Fencing
