The health and safety of the British Wheelchair Basketball family remains our main priority, and we are constantly monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 and following the official advice and guidance from the UK Government, the World Health Organisation and Public Health England.
Currently (10/03/2020), there are no plans by British Wheelchair Basketball to cancel or postpone any competition fixtures or events. We are continuing to monitor the situation and are following the advice from the UK Government, the World Health Organisation and Public Health England on this matter.
Please visit our COVID-19 guidance page with the latest information and guidance related to British Wheelchair Basketball fixtures and events.
UK Government guidance
- Latest Government information and advice on Coronavirus, number of cases and risk level can be found here.
- Latest Government travel advice and impact for travellers.
- Latest Government advice on how to avoid catching or spreading the virus, which is here.
- Last week Government published an action plan to contain the possible spread of the virus.
British Wheelchair Basketball guidance
We are taking the necessary steps to protect our members and ask that the following actions are taken at British Wheelchair Basketball fixtures and events (along with the general advice of washing hands frequently):
- Prior to arriving at the venue, please ensure all equipment, including chairs, wheels, rims, are wiped down thoroughly using anti-bacterial wipes.
- On arrival to the venue, please use any anti-bacterial hand gel to thoroughly clean your hands. If you don’t have any, please go to the nearest bathroom and wash your hands with soap and hot water for approximately 20 seconds.
- Any time you leave the sports hall, hands must be washed or cleaned with anti-bacterial gel upon return.
- There will be no shaking of hands between teams and officials at fixtures or events.
- Should you need to cough or sneeze, please cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve, vest or another material. Do not use your hands.
- The UK Government’s advice is that anyone with flu-like symptoms should avoid the risk of spreading their infection, whatever that infection may be, by staying at home and recovering.
Guidance on game postponements due to COVID-19
UK Government advice: Based upon the current scientific advice from the Government’s medical experts, there is no rationale to close or cancel sporting events at this current time.
British Wheelchair Basketball is following this advice and currently there are no plans to cancel or postpone any of British Wheelchair Basketball’s competition fixtures or events.
However, we do understand that there are/have been some localised instances where COVID-19 has impacted some National League fixtures. We ask that clubs and teams please keep British Wheelchair Basketball informed should your fixture be affected.
The following amendments have been made to the 2019/20 Rules and Regulations to incorporate any postponements caused by COVID-19:
Rule 8.16 to be extended to include COVID-19 in addition to inclement weather:
“Where a team is responsible for a fixture being postponed with less than 24 hours to tap-off, for any reason other than inclement weather, the fixture will be recorded as a forfeit with the score being set at 20-0 in favour of the non-offending team. 1-league point will be deducted from the offending teams and a fine will be issues in accordance with regulation 8.20.”
Rule 8.18 – teams will have until the end of the regular season (26th April 2020) to play games postponed due to COVID-19:
“The team responsible for the postponement of the match shall provide suitable dates for the re-arrangement within 7 days of the scheduled tap-off. In the event that within 14 days of the original match date, the two clubs cannot reach an agreement as to when the rescheduled match should take place, the match will be void and no points awarded to either team.”
Contact
Any questions or queries related to COVID-19 and British Wheelchair Basketball fixtures and events, please email membership@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk or you can speak to a member of the team on 01509 279900.
