BD update: local restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales

The Prime Minister yesterday announced that a new three tier system would be put in place to manage local lockdowns, in response to the increase in positive coronavirus cases in parts of England. Following this announcement, we want to update members as to how this will affect dressage activity across the country.

This new three tier system in operation in England from Wednesday 13 October, puts areas into medium (Tier 1), high (Tier 2) and very high risk (Tier 3) categories, with different restrictions applicable in each case. The government press release details which areas fall in to which category/tier and you can use a post code checker tool to establish which area you reside in if you’re unsure.

While we already have established guidelines to deal with these local restrictions, it is important to clarify how these changes will affect your ability to compete and train in your area. The good news is that, thanks to the COVID secure protocols and procedures we have put in place, organised BD activity can continue in all areas, providing that the ‘rule of six’, social distancing and hygiene measures continue to be adhered to at all times. This includes those areas that fall under the new Tier 1 and Tier 2 restrictions.

However, in Tier 3 (high risk) areas, restrictions on non-essential travel will mean that members are not able to train or compete outside of their area, as defined by the relevant local authority. This is the same principle that applied in other areas, such as Leicester and Aberdeen, earlier in the summer, while travel restrictions are also currently in place in certain parts of Scotland and Wales.

Further details on how the new local COVID alert levels will operate can be found on the government website.

It’s imperative that members follow both government and British Dressage guidance in order to keep yourself and others around you safe. Our COVID guidelines for competitors, organisers, coaches and officials ensure that our sport can still operate, but we need everyone to comply with these regulations, by maintaining social distancing and following good hygiene practices in order for BD activity to continue.

As a reminder, our protocols for managing activity in areas with local lockdown restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales are as follows:

• Members, organisers and officials who live in any of the areas with local restrictions should strictly adhere to all government regulations that are put in place.
• Where BD organised competition and training activity is permitted to continue, all COVID guidance and protocols must be implemented fully and followed correctly.
• Venues are required to conduct thorough risk assessments to mitigate risks and take all necessary precautions to ensure that activity is run in a COVID secure environment.
• Any venue that falls within an area with travel restrictions in place should not accept entries or bookings from members outside of that area, unless they have put additional mitigations in place and have received local authority approval.
• Organisers should not accept bookings for training or competition entries from members who live in areas with mandatory travel restrictions.
• Judges, stewards or officials who reside within an area with mandatory travel restrictions should only visit venues or clients for work purposes.
• Where activity takes place within an area under local travel restrictions, coaches and judges should only conduct training or test riding for members who reside within that area.
• Members are strongly advised not go into or out of an area with travel restrictions to take part in organised competition, training or test riding activity, while the local lockdown remains in place.
• Staff, contractors and suppliers should only travel to / from venues within restricted areas if deemed essential for work purposes and they are unable to work from home.
• With many areas of the UK subject to different and rapidly changing restrictions, it is the responsibility of individual members to ensure that they check the latest situation in the area they are living in, or travelling to, to ensure that they are complying with all requirements.

England

For England, the above advice applies to Tier 3 or very high risk areas, which currently includes:

• Liverpool
• Knowsley
• Wirral
• St Helens
• Sefton
• Halton

Further information is available on the government website and from Sport England.

Scotland

There are a number of areas in Scotland that currently have local restrictions in place and will therefore also fall under the BD local lockdown protocols detailed above:

• Clackmannanshire
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Lothian
• East Renfrewshire
• Edinburgh (City of)
• Falkirk
• Glasgow City
• Inverclyde
• Midlothian
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• Stirling
• West Dunbartonshire
• West Lothian

Further information is available on the Scottish government website.

Wales

In addition, there are several areas in Wales that currently have local lockdowns in place, including mandatory travel restrictions, where BD local lockdown protocols also apply:

• Blaenau Gwent
• Bridgend
• Caerphilly
• Cardiff
• Llanelli
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Neath Port Talbot
• Newport
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea
• Torfaen
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Conwy
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Wrexham

Further information is available on the Welsh government website.

If you’re unsure whether you fall into one of the above areas, please use the post code checker on the government’s website. 

To mitigate risk and ensure the continued safe running of our sport all members in England, Scotland and Wales, regardless of which area you live in, should continue to follow these basic principles:

• Do not attempt to travel to venues if you or anyone in your household is feeling unwell or is displaying symptoms associated with the virus.
• Keep your distance – at least two metres on the ground, three horse lengths while mounted.
• Keep your hands and face clean – wash your hands and/or use hand sanitiser regularly.
• Wear face coverings in situations where social distancing may be compromised, particularly in indoor areas, including covered arenas, when not riding.
• Avoid touching your face, mouth and eyes when in a public environment.
• Take hygiene precautions, including using a tissue when sneezing, disposing it safely, and cough into the crook of your elbow, not your hand.
• Limit the number of contacts you have with other people outside of your household.
• If closer contact is unavoidable, you should still keep a minimum of one metre apart at all times, plus take other mitigating measures, such as wearing a face mask and avoiding face to face contact where possible.
• Do not share tack or equipment and thoroughly clean all items, including clothes and reusable masks, when returning home after competition.

BD COVID-19 INFO HUB