Following the government’s announcement on 23 June 2020, we have been looking at how we can safely reopen Club facilities to members on Saturday 4 July.
The guidance available states:
– Bars, restaurants and clubhouses will be able to open provided they follow COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
– Two households (support bubbles count as one household) can meet in any location – public or private, indoors or outdoors – provided those from different households follow social distancing guidelines.
– People can stay overnight away from their homes with members of their own household or support bubble, or with members of one other household.
– Groups of up to six people from different households continue to be permitted to meet in outdoor spaces provided social distancing guidelines are followed.
– It will be against the law to gather in groups larger than 30 people, except for a limited set of circumstances to be set out in law and unless all members of the group are exclusively from two households.
– Where possible people should continue to stay two metres apart. If this is not possible, a distance of at least one metre (1m+) should be observed, provided the risk of infection is mitigated by taking other precautions. This includes measures such as: avoiding being face-to-face with people outside of your household or support bubble, use of face coverings where social distancing is not possible and avoiding crowds.
– Full advice from the RYA is available here:
https://www.rya.org.uk/training-support/Pages/coronavirus_guidance.aspx
As a result of these changes, we can confirm that as of 4 July 2020:
- Members can stay overnight on their boats on the pontoons;
- Toilet facilities will be re-opened in the boatyard. They will be thoroughly cleaned once a day and cleaning materials will be left to enable members to clean the toilets before/after use. We encourage members to take collective responsibility in keeping these facilities clean;
- Once work on the foredeck is completed, we will reopen the disabled heads on board HY Tyne. In order to make these accessible for all members, the fob access will be disabled. Again, the heads will be regularly cleaned and cleaning equipment will be in the heads for members to clean the facility after use; and
- HY Tyne will remain closed and there will be no bar and catering services offered until further notice. The Rum Shack will also remain closed.
The Directors and General Committee are giving careful consideration as to how we may safely re-open all of the facilities under the current guidelines. We understand the desire to embrace and re-capture the social aspect of the Club, and we are actively looking at ways to accommodate this whilst observing the confines of the current guidelines. We understand that progress may feel slow but we must provide a safe environment for both employees and members alike. Please be assured that we are all working very hard to try and find the right way to enable our Club to once again offer full facilities safely.
We thank you all again for your ongoing patience with this.
Finally, the Year Books are now available for collection from the Moorings Shed.
Best wishes,
Helen
Helen Park
Vice Commodore
