Latest Lockdown Status

Lockdown Status: Metro Blind Sport

Activity has re-started, and we have more starting each week, so please take a little time to read the updates on the event list and get booked on to a session.

Sports and physical activity – Current guidance

Full Government guidance here: http://blindsport.uk/GovGuide

What’s changed

This guidance was updated on 18 July to help inform your planning and business operations for Step 4.

How to participate safely

There are no restrictions on how many people can take part in sport and physical activity, or on the activities they can do. Sport participation events such as races and walks can take place with no capacity caps for participants or spectators provided they can be safely accommodated.

However, there are some steps you should take to reduce the risk of transmission when you are participating.

Check for COVID-19 symptoms and health conditions

Before attending any sporting activities, all participants, officials, volunteers and spectators should self-assess for symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These are:

a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

If you, or anyone you live with, have one or more of these symptoms you should not attend any sporting activity, even if your symptoms are mild. You should follow NHS guidance on testing and self-isolation.

If you have been informed that you need to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace (or are required to self-isolate in relation to travel), you must do so. You should not leave your isolation location in order to participate in sport and physical activity. You can find more information in the NHS guidance on how to self-isolate.

Follow your sport provider’s safety measures

Your sport facility or provider may ask you to ‘check in’ using the NHS app to scan their QR code. This supports NHS Test and Trace, and helps to reduce the spread of the virus.
Your sport provider may ask you to take a COVID-19 test before participating in a match or tournament. This helps them to ensure that sport can take place safely, and that participants are not at risk of catching or spreading the virus.
Your sport provider may use the NHS COVID Pass. This allows people to demonstrate that they are at a lower risk of carrying COVID-19 and transmitting it to others, through vaccination, testing or natural immunity.
Where these types of measures are used, you should follow your provider’s guidance. This will help them to keep everyone as safe as possible, and minimise the risk of transmission at their events so they can continue to provide sport safely.

Take part safely

You should continue to follow any relevant advice from your NGB or sport provider on how to participate safely in your sport or activity. This may set out different ways to organise matches or tournaments, or measures you should follow like regular breaks to sanitise the ball or other equipment.
You should continue to follow good hygiene practices, to reduce the risk of transmission in sport environments. For example, you should not spit or rinse out your mouth on or around the playing area. You can find more information in the guidance on how to stay safe.
You should avoid sharing water bottles or other refreshment containers. Where possible, you should take your own drink, in a labelled or highly distinguishable container.
Face coverings are no longer required by law, but the government expects and recommends that people should continue to wear them in crowded and enclosed settings, to protect themselves and others. Where worn correctly, this can reduce the risk of transmission.
For example, you may wish to put on a face covering after your sporting activity if you are in a crowded indoor facility, but you don’t have to wear one during sport. People should not generally wear a face covering while taking part in any strenuous activity or sport, unless advised to do so by a doctor.
You should avoid sharing equipment where possible and practical, particularly equipment which is used around the head and face (such as masks and helmets). If equipment needs to be shared, it should be cleaned between users, where possible.

Online Activity links below

Chair Yoga

At the end of last year, we released our first online Chair Yoga session with Claire Miller. Session 2 and 3 have since been released and all are available on our YouTube page. https://blindsport.uk/ChairYoga

Shape up with Spurs!

Join our FREE virtual exercise classes hosted by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation Health and Wellbeing coaches. We will be running weekly exercise classes exploring different types of training

Sessions take place on Zoom virtual video platform on Wednesday’s at 2 pm

if you wish to register interest or find out more please contact:
Contact: Adam Millar 07392091327 or email Adam.millar@tottenhamhotspur.com

Get Yourself Active at Home

The new ‘Get Yourself Active at Home’ timetable is now available, and videos will be released in January on to their new YouTube channel https://blindsport.uk/GYAYoutube These pre-recorded videos are designed to support disabled people and people with long term health conditions to be active at home. The timetable includes four series all led by different trainers and involving a variety of different activities that can be carried out from the comfort of your home.

British Blind Sport

British Blind Sport have a suite of online audio described classes for people to attend. These include some audio-led workouts, covering a wide range of activities such as Yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Boxercise and Strength. For more details visit their website https://britishblindsport.org.uk/active-at-home/

Eyes-Free Fitness

Don’t forget that we have a full suite of audio described exercise sessions from Eyes-Free Fitness on the Metro Blind Sport website: https://blindsport.uk/AudioExercise

We are very keen to ensure that members remain virtually connected and we are certainly willing to arrange regular online catch ups and social meetings with members. Details of these will be released in due course once they are arranged.

LTA: Disability Tennis Competitions 2021 Update

As you can imagine with varying restrictions across the UK at the moment the LTA have found it difficult to finalise a competition calendar for 2021. Understandably many venues don’t want to commit to any events early in the year due to uncertainties, so you will notice most events start a little later than usual.

Below are the events booked in so far, more dates will be added in time. All dates are provisional and are subject to change depending on lockdown restrictions in 2021.

http://blindsport.uk/LTATennis2021

Social distancing and advice

Social distancing measures (as defined by Public Health England as spending more than 15 minutes and within a 2-metre distance talking to someone) are now advised not only if we test positive or have symptoms, but in day to day life. As well as current travel advice, the current UK government is advising anyone with a “new, continuous” cough or high temperature and those they live with need to self-isolate for 14 days.

At Risk groups

The latest advice from the government’s chief medical adviser is that those over 70 currently do not need to be self-isolating. However, in the coming days, every Briton over the age of 70 and those in at-risk groups over the age of 70 will be advised to be “largely shielded from social contact” for 12 weeks to help protect themselves. Those with underlying medical issues such as high blood pressure, lung complaints and weakened or compromised immune systems are more likely to develop serious illness as a result of the disease.

Anyone with a higher risk from viruses such as cold or flu should take sensible steps to reduce the risk of picking up infections. Click here for NHS advice on infection control – it is summarized below:

wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
always wash your hands when you get home or into work
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
avoid close contact with people who have symptoms of coronavirus
use phone, online services, or apps to contact your GP surgery or other NHS services
Click here for the government’s advice if you have symptoms