July 9, 2020 Update: Tennis Victoria guidelines
This is the latest update from Tennis Victoria:
The Victorian Premier has announced new restrictions and a Stay at Home Directive for 6 weeks for Metropolitan Melbourne from 11.59pm 8 July. During this time, tennis has been identified as an activity which can continue, with restrictions.
Our recommendations below are based on the available DHHS guidance. We expect Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) to publish further detail and we will update our recommendations as required via the Tennis Victoria website once we have this additional information.
1. Metro Melbourne plus Mitchell Shire lockdown areas (full list below)
The guidance states:
Outdoor sport facilities will be closed, except for facilities where people can exercise with no more than one other person or members of your household while maintaining 1.5 metres distance. Equipment should not be shared, and communal facilities cannot open.
Community sport training and competition cannot occur within the Melbourne metropolitan area or the Shire of Mitchell. If you live in this area you cannot participate in community sport elsewhere.
Therefore,
- Community competition must be cancelled until further notice
- Pennant 2020 is cancelled
- All indoor facilities must close – this includes all indoor courts, clubhouses/rooms
- Cafes in clubhouses can serve take away and home delivery only
- Outdoor courts may remain open for the following:
- Casual play (public court hire or club members) for members of the same household or for 2 people from different households.
- Coaching for members of the same household or one to one coaching
- All other programmes and activity must cease until further notice
- Tennis equipment must not be shared
- No one from outside a lockdown area may play at a facility within the lockdown area – and vice versa
The ‘Hot Zone’ areas identified 1 July can now revert to the above guidance.
Strict adherence to physical distancing and hygiene protocols is essential. In Metropolitan Melbourne, anyone playing tennis must Get In. Play. Get Out. We also recommend that everyone entering a facility is registered for tracking purposes. We have provided a QR Code to assist with this.
The Tennis Victoria website has details on physical distancing, hygiene protocols and a suite of resources to assist clubs and coaches in taking the actions required.
2. Regional Victoria
Tennis activity, including community competition, may continue under the direction of Tennis Victoria’s Return to Tennis Guidelines and Return to Community Tennis Competition Guidelines.
However, residents of Regional Victoria may not play tennis in Metropolitan Melbourne, Mitchell Shire or New South Wales and vice versa. This means some Associations/Clubs may need to cancel community competition – this will need to be an individual assessment based on where your players reside.
Since reopening the courts we have seen significant demand, especially for casual court hire. We were excited about the new competition season and we know that many of you had put significant time into the preparations for competition which can no longer go ahead. We are so sorry – we understand how disappointing it is to have further restrictions placed upon us, but we must, of course, respect the public health directives and do our bit to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic. As a physical distancing sport, tennis is in a strong position to continue to provide exercise opportunities to assist the community to stay physically and mentally well during this challenging time – we are just restricted in how it can be played in some parts of the State for a little while longer.
Tennis Victoria staff are working remotely to limit contact but are all still available to provide support as needed, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
