With non-essential retail outlets due to open today and hair and beauty salons set to follow suit next Wednesday, sports clubs and associations are calling for an explanation about why outdoor training and competition for more than ten people will remain banned until at least the end of February.
In Monday night’s press conference, Chief Minister John Le Fondré confirmed that the government ‘want to see what the numbers do over the next three week as a result of the easing of non-essential retail’ before a return to sport is considered.
The Chief Minister also said that outdoor sports would be assessed in three weeks’ time, while insinuating that team sports were more likely to spread Covid-19 due to ‘a lot of breathing and droplets’.
Meanwhile, Deputy Hugh Raymond, the political champion for Island sport, sent an email to the Chief Minister and Health Minister Richard Renouf on behalf of sports officials last week seeking clarity. It is understood that he has yet to receive a meaningful reply.
‘I’ve had a one-line email saying they are having discussions and they will get back to me,’ Raymond confirmed.
‘We definitely need more information so we can let sports bodies know. I’ve been under a lot of pressure from them … they really want to know where they stand. We know they can’t give us exact dates, but they do want some sort of timetable of when we can expect to see events happening again. It’s essential; people want to organise their futures.’
Last week Raymond admitted he too was perplexed by some of the strategy’s guidelines, given that indoor recreation, including private dance classes and school PE lessons, had been taking place since mid-January, while outdoor sports
Bradley Vowden, Jersey FA chief president, also expressed his frustration at seeing 11-a-side football sidelined for another three weeks. He said: ‘I just don’t see the logic. It just doesn’t seem like it has been thought through. We’re not going to be playing football until March, and just seems such a shame.’
