Coronavirus – EPSB Guidance Update – 22 September

Following yesterday’s (22 September) announcements by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in respect of new national restrictions to address rising cases of coronavirus in England, the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards has today updated its current guidance documents for its affiliated snooker facilities in England.

• EPSB Covid-19 Guidance documents

Please note that this is guidance only and clubs must also continue to consult their Local Authority and Health and Safety Executive for approval of their club Covid-19 secure protocols.

Key changes

General club competitions

From 24 September there is no longer an exemption to the “Rule of six” for indoor organised sport for over-18s as previously in place. This has the following effect:

• National Governing Body competitions will not take place until further notice
• Pro-Am competitions should not take place until further notice
• Snooker exhibitions should not take place until further notice.

Internal club competitions should be designed within the UK Government’s guidelines to align with the ‘Rule of six’.  Any formats that could involve larger numbers of people mixing should be revised to avoid this happening e.g. played over several weeks rather than on a single day.

Face coverings

There have been revisions to the guidance in respect of face coverings as follows:

• Face coverings now must be worn to enter all snooker venues.
• These can be removed once at a designated snooker table or bar table, at players’ discretion.
• They must be put on again whenever leaving the designated area. Exemptions apply.

Business Opening

There have also been changes in respect of business opening and the availability of food:

• All affiliated clubs must be closed between 10:00pm and 5:00am.
• Clubs providing food and drink should observe the closing times for takeaways, but delivery services can continue after 10:00pm.
• In licensed premises, food and drink must be ordered from, and served at, a table, which includes a designated snooker table.
• Wherever possible, snooker balls and equipment should be brought to the booked table by a member of staff.

QR Codes

All businesses will need to display the official NHS QR code posters so that customers can ‘check-in’ at different premises using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details once the app is rolled out nationally (from 24 September).  This is available from https://tinyurl.com/y68mfwwl

Further Support

Any affiliated 147 Club requiring further support can contact Bob Hill for further information or alternatively is encouraged to share queries within our dedicated Facebook Group where club owners are encouraged to seek guidance and share experiences nationally for the benefit of all.