WE ARE OPEN AND RUNNING COVID-19 SAFE ACTIVITIES – Government guidance currently states we can run our activities keeping 1 m distance where possible. Our minimum age limit is 10 years and this must be strictly complied with to ensure social distancing. In our experience younger children often need a more hands-on approach to help them over some of the terrain an older child/adult won’t.
We have written and implemented a Covid-19 risk assessment, and have been certified as “Good to Go” by Visit England.
Our equipment will either be sanitised/washed or quarantined in line with current guidelines. The reason some items are quarantined as opposed to washing/sanitising is that they are PPE and washing would cause damage.
When we come to pack the kit the tubs we use will be cleaned thoroughly and our hands will be washed/sanitised. We have hand sanitiser in the van for when we arrive at the location and have to get your wetsuits out of the tubs to lay out ready. During the safety brief, walk in/out and most of the activity it is possible to keep 1 m apart. There may be moments during the activity when the instructor has to get closer for safety reasons. If this happens then he always minimise contact time and will introduce side-to-side contact or from behind.
The good news is the risk of transmission when you’re outside is very low . This has been documented in many studies recently :
Dr Chris Smith, clinical lecturer in virology at the University of Cambridge, told the BBC the chances of Covid-19 transmission outside were “vanishingly small” because “the amount of dilution from fresh air is so high”.
This does not eliminate the risk entirely. Our groups are mixed and you will be sharing surfaces with other people in your group. For this reason hand hygiene is important as well as not touching your face/mouth during the activity. We will carry hand sanitiser at all times for this reason.
The same risk applies throughout daily life going shopping, getting a takeaway, walking outside and touching a gate etc. The use of face masks is only recommended by Public Health England if you are in an enclosed public space such as some shops and public transport .From our point of view instructions wouldn’t be clear and the mask would move during the activity so encourage face touching. You are welcome to bring your own gloves to wear although they may get ripped during the activity and they are pointless if you touch your face. Again they are not recommend by Public Health England whilst out and about . We just recommend refraining from touching your face during the activity and using using hand sanitiser before/during and after.
We will be following any updates and update our page/risk assessment and guidance accordingly.
Clearly if someone has Coronavirus symptoms, is isolating or has been in close contact with someone with symptoms they should NOT be taking part in one of our activities . Please follow current Government guidance
