Mercia Fell Runners Club

England Athletics have released new guidance, appropriate to the current guidelines stating that people can meet up to six others from separate households, and exercise outdoors.  Coaches and leaders are now allowed and covered with insurance to do sessions to the ratio of 1:5.
To do this you must also have a completed risk assessment, and have ppe in your possession, plus hand sanitiser.  Also, after the session all members must leave and not congregate.
It states that clubs should have a covid-19 co-ordinator, however to save the process, I have completed a risk assessment for the club which is attached.
Having discussed this with the other coaches and leaders of the club we have highlighted potential issues that could arise if we went ahead with sessions:-
1. We cannot control the amount of people who turn up to sessions which could lead to more than 5 people to one coach or leader.
2. The areas that we take sessions (Lickey Hills, Wrekin, Church Stretton) have seen an increase of 33% more visitors due to the easement of the lockdown, meaning more people to avoid on the trails and making it difficult to socially distance from other members of the public.
3. Coaches and Leaders will require PPE to carry in the event of a member becoming injured. 
4. It would create further congestion in the areas we want to protect and we want to ensure we can use in the future, and rely on for cooperation for races.
5. Social media posts or others taking photos of potential infringement of the social distancing would tarnish the great reputation of the club.
With these in mind, although we now have a risk assessment in place, we feel that until we can negate the above, that Tuesday and Thursday sessions remain suspended until further notice, until we can put in place suitable measures or regulations change.
The best we can suggest, is that members organise there own PRIVATE meet ups and do not wear any Mercia club colours.
This is the link to the amended EA guidance, which also differs to the rest of the UK.
https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-step-2/
Regards,
Andy Pye