The Health and Safety of our club family is of paramount importance to your board. As a consequence your Board met to consider what actions were necessary as a result of the current health pandemic.
Today, at a specially called meeting the club Board, it was decided unanimously to suspend all club organised play until March 31st. This includes club championship events and all organised play in this period. Club championship events are postponed and may be rescheduled at a later date. Your club is not closed as you can still use club facilities for practice and organise games as you wish. However, there will be no club organised play in this period. Before March 31st the Board will meet and review this decision. All members will be advised at that time of the ongoing situation.
Whilst the Board appreciates that this decision will not be popular with everyone it was imperative that we considered the consequences of continued play. The real threat of club members being forced into a self-isolation situation, through group contact at the club, is the main reason for this decision.
We are advised that best practice would require a list of all players at all club organised events to be maintained which is not so difficult. This would allow health authorities to contact and require self-isolation of all the players at the club who had contact with any player who was recently associated with a person who becomes a suspected COVID – 19 infected person or had recent close contact with a suspected COVID – 19 case. The ramifications to club members and their families of this widespread self-isolation, together with the vulnerability due to our members age demographics are the main reasons that your Board decided as they have. Whilst we know our club members well we do not know the movements etc. of their families, friends and associates. The risk was therefore considered unacceptable.
We sincerely hope that this measure is short lived and we can return to normal activities.
Thank you for your understanding.
On behalf of the Board
Stuart Jamieson
Chairperson.
The following is the link to the Bowls New Zealand Club Guide for COVID-19