COVID-19: BOWLS SCOTLAND GUIDANCE FOR GETTING BACK ON THE GREEN
COVID-19: BOWLS SCOTLAND GUIDANCE FOR GETTING BACK ON THE GREEN
The Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, yesterday announced an extension to public health exercise guidelines to include outdoor sporting activity which applies to Lawn Bowls commencing on the Friday 29th May. (This date is pending the final decision being made by Scottish Government on the 28th May)
Bowls Scotland have been liaising with our District Secretaries, sportscotland and the Scottish Government to create a Guidance Document for our clubs and bowlers to get safely back on the green. We are pleased to inform you that our bowls-specific Guidance Document has been approved by the Scottish Government.
The Guidance Document includes:
- Guidance for Bowling Clubs
- Guidance for Players
- Guidance for Bowling Activity (including before, during and after play)
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
- Additional Information for Clubs (i.e. Green Maintenance, Risk Assessment template, Rink booking template, Rink layout example)
Please click on the link here to view our full Guidance Document – https://www.bowlsscotland.com/clubs/club-support-covid-19
Bowls Scotland CEO, Alan McMillan, said: “I fully understand that a break from the game we all love, and miss will have had a significant impact on both the physical and mental health of thousands of bowlers in Scotland and I’m sure many of you cannot wait to take to the bowling green again.
“While this is good news, we would like to make it clear that this is not a return to our sport as we knew it before and the biggest priority for everyone continues to be public health. Therefore, it is crucial that all bowlers and everyone connected with our sport continue to adhere to the latest Scottish Government guidance and the information issued in our Guidance Document.
“Lawn Bowls is in the privileged position of being one of the first outdoor activities that the Scottish Government has included as part of its extended exercise guidance, allowing people to play our sport to aid with physical activity and mental wellbeing.
“As the National Governing Body for Lawn Bowls in Scotland we are not forcing any of our clubs to re-open or any of our members to play bowls. If your club has the correct safety procedures in place and follows the information detailed in the Guidance Document and as an individual you feel safe and have a desire to return to the bowling green, you can do so. However, if your club is not able to implement the prescribed safety measures, they must remain closed and we ask that you do not put unnecessary pressure on them to re-open.
“This Guidance Document is Phase One of getting back on the green which meets the Scottish Governments current guidelines. We will continue to update this information and the next phases for our clubs and members as the Scottish Government update their guidelines.”
“If we all carefully follow the guidelines and use good individual judgement this will ensure that in time, we can move towards a fully phased re-introduction of the game we all know and love.”