A: Grange, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland | E: info@mullingarharriers.com

No prospect of a reduction in timeline for Level 5 restrictions (8th Nov)

 

It became apparent in the first week of November that despite good reductions in the number of daily cases and improvement in the all-important R-number, there is no prospect of a reduction in the six weeks timeline for the current Level 5 restrictions, so we won’t know until late November what Level we will drop back to in early December. We know that anything above Level 2 means there will be no athletics competitions, but banking on Level 2 would be very optimistic indeed and the fear is that relaxations in early December might see numbers increasing again and the prospect of a return to tighter restrictions, so no competition until the New Year remains very likely. In the meantime, we need to continue to train as best as we can in order to be ready for when competition returns.

Athletics Ireland published FAQs on Friday 6th November about Level 5, so there is no doubt what is and what isn’t allowed.

  • Adults may not train collectively in groups and only individual training for adults is allowed;
  • Elite athletes, of which there are a number in the Club and some that train at the Club, and school going children and young people aged 18 years or below can attend Club training;
  • Club training is restricted to outdoors only, socially distanced and following good hygiene etiquette, in pods of 15 including the coaches and multiple pods can train where space allows for social distancing;
  • Travel beyond 5k is allowed for athletes and coaches to attend training, even if that means crossing County boundaries;
  • Indoor facilities remain closed under Level 5;
  • We must continue to pre-book every session, which includes a health questionnaire;
  • We must record the attendance of everyone at training; and
  • We must continue to sanitise all equipment such as cones and mini hurdles before and after use.