The Club’s Management Committee has considered the issues relating to a return to training at the Club and has decided that those sections of the club who wish to return to training can do so but that the level of training should remain at stage B of the RFU roadmap. That means that training should remain in small groups of no more than 6 people for the time being.
The factors behind this decision included:
- The number of Covid-19 cases do not appear to have reduced sufficiently in Preston to remove the intervention regulations that have recently been put in place.
- However, discussions with the RFU and the local Council have indicated that sport is not affected by the intervention regulations and have therefore confirmed that we could return to training at Stage C and our insurance would not be invalidated as we have carried put in place proper protocols.
- In addition, we also intend to introduce temperature monitoring to prevent anyone with a temperature above 37.8o from training.
- There appears to be an increasing concern that mental illness will be as much of a problem as Covid-19. Provision of recreational activity is useful in preventing depression.
- Given the use of our grounds by Footballers, Typhoons, Cricketers, Archers, Squash and the General Public in the Social Distance Inn the addition of Rugby Training at Stage B is not going to have a major impact upon our exposure to a user catching or spreading Covid-19.
Accordingly, we believe that allowing a return to training with proper protocols at Level B is proportionate and represents a proper exercise of our Duty of Care. We are not compelling anyone to train but offering them the facility and they can make their own assessment of the risk.
