Covid-19 Daily Update
May 14, 2020 - 4 years ago
We completely understand that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) is causing concern and uncertainty among everyone. We are diligently following the advice of Department of Health (Australian Government) and ACT Health and Australian Institute of Sport as to new measures we should take.
This blog post will be updated PERIODICALLY to ensure our members have the necessary information they need ABOUT URBAN REC LEAGUES AND EVENTS.
Updated Monday June 15, 2020 at 12noon
On Friday June 12, the news we have all been waiting for was delivered by the ACT Government. From June 19 community sports can return to full-contact training or light contact competition providing distancing and venue number restrictions are followed.
This paves the way for our summer seasons to return to play from this Sunday. All of our social leagues are non-contact and we can adhere to the social distancing guidelines and number limits at all of our venues. As we had already been planning for a return to sport at stage 2.2 you may have already seen your schedule is updated for a start next week. If your schedule hadn’t been updated it was due to venue confirmation, with this news we can now move forward with finalising our return in these last few venues.
All Summer players will receive an email on Tuesday with all the info on their remaining games, our new COVID rules, and requirements etc.
This also gives us solid start dates for our comeback seasons, with all the time we’ve had to plan, our comeback seasons will be the most fun seasons we have ever run. All our comeback seasons are open for team and individual registrations!
We’ve been waiting a long time for this news (88 days to be exact). We can’t wait to get back, we can’t wait to see you again, we can’t wait to bring back social, fun, sport to our community.
See you next week,
The team at Urban Rec
Updated Tues May 28, 2020 at 3pm
Canberra has come to the party (kinda) and smashed isolation and social distancing. We haven’t seen any new Covid cases over the past few weeks and we are starting to get out and about a little more now government restrictions are being eased.
Earlier this week information about a return to sport from the ACT Government was released, we misinterpreted “social sport will be returning with minimal contact”, to mean that we would be able to return to Social Sports as of this weekend.. After clarification from ACT Sport And Recreation, this is unfortunately not the case participants still need to be 1.5m apart at all times. Which means we cannot yet return.
It’s not all doom and gloom, The ACT Government has released guidelines on the next phase of a return to sport and a start date. We are using these dates as a guideline as to when we will be able to resume our paused Summer seasons. This predicted return to sport date is June 19th, we are now working with our venues to confirm proposed start dates.
We are also super excited to say that under the current restrictions we are able to resume our Summer Beach Volleyball League on Sunday May 31. It may be a little cooler, but we don’t think the cold will be able to temper our excitement.
Despite not being able to go ahead at full capacity, we have however been given the go ahead to use a few of our venue bookings for training purposes. This means whilst we can’t get back to leagues just yet, we have designed some pretty cool, skills, drills and fitness sessions if you are interested in getting some sport in. You can find out more here.
If you are looking for something to do for the next few weeks until sports start back our Sunday night e-leagues start on May 31. You can find out more here.
If you haven’t already filled it out our Member Surveyis still up. Tell us what you love and what we can improve on for your chance to win $150 rebel voucher.
These new dates mean we have had to reassess our start dates for our comeback seasons. If you are registered for a comeback season you will receive an email from us over the coming days with more info.
We will be in touch with your team in the coming days with more info on the resumption of your Summer Season.
We are bouncing off the walls with excitement to get back into sport we hope you are too.
The team at Urban Rec Canberra
Updated Tues May 26, 2020 at 3:30pm
SPORT IS BACK- Today, after 63 days of no sport, The ACT Government has announced social sport in groups of under 20 can be played from Saturday May 30. We are working with our venues to get our sports back as soon as possible. We will be in contact with all teams playing in our paused summer seasons and registered for our comeback season in the next couple of days, once we have clarity from our venues.
Updated Thu 14 May, 2020 at 12noon
THU 14 MAY – MON 25 MAY (LEAGUES CONTINUOSLY PAUSED): Urban Rec continues to pause all leagues and events at this time.Recent goverment announcements have started to lift restrictions. In ACT we are moving to stage 1 from Friday May 15, 2020. Stage 1 still restricts community sport from operating, though sports training for groups of under 10 in outdoor areas is permitted. The goverment is set to review the progress of Stage 1 in coming weeks. At that time, if we do move to stage 2, we will be able to commence leagues with obvious restictions and updates to our policies, including the introduction of a new Covid Clean Policy.
We are also following the Australian Institute of Sport Framework for Rebooting Sport which follow stages A. B and C as a guildine for individual sporting codes.
Our Comeback seasonal start dates have been adjusted with these time frames in mind, with most of this season starting in July to allow enough time for our currently paused seasons to commence and finish. If you have any questions about your teams situation, please send us an email.
Updated Wed 1 April, 2020 at 7am
WED 1 APRIL – THU 14 MAY (LEAGUES CONTINUOSLY PAUSED): Todays announcement should come as no suprise that leagues continue to be paused at Urban Rec. We want to assure all teams that our plan is to continue to run leagues, once the government feels it is safe to do so. Our next update will be at the beginning of May. We have tentatively announced our next season start dates to happen in June, with the hopes to complete our Summer season as soon as possible. We have also updated our refund policy to help explain our position in this horrible time. Our members support during this period means everything.
WED 1 APRIL – THU 30 APRIL (LEAGUES CONTINUOSLY PAUSED): Todays announcement should come as no suprise that leagues continue to be paused at Urban Rec. We want to assure all teams that our plan is to continue to run leagues, once the government feels it is safe to do so. Our next update will be at the beginning of May. We have tentatively announced our next season start dates to happen in June, with the hopes to complete our Summer season as soon as possible. We have also updated our refund policy to help explain our position in this horrible time. Our members support during this period means everything.
TUESDAY 17TH MARCH (LEAGUES PAUSED): Today, we had to make the devastating decision to pause all leagues and events for Urban Rec in Sydney, Canberra and Newcastle. This decision comes in light of the current situation with the coronavirus COVID-19, and our deepest desire to do what is morally correct for our members and the community. We will be sending out communication to all our members on Wednesday, 01 April updating everyone of the situation at that time.
It goes without saying that our HQ team here in Canberra - Donald and Leish and all our amazing event hosts - are deeply saddened by the news that we will not be seeing your smiling, cheerful faces at our leagues over the next few weeks. We will be working diligently in head office (or from a home office) think-tanking and brainstorming how to make your experience absolutely exceptional when we are able to welcome you back and start social sport again!
MONDAY 16TH MARCH: If you have been travelling overseas as of midnight last night, you should be self quarantining for 14 days and and we ask you to not attend any of our leagues. At this stage, government has not closed schools or universities, but is asking all non-essential organised sporting events above 500 people to be cancelled. As our leagues and events have on average, about 30 people in attendance, we have been advised it is bot necessary to cancel our leagues or events.
FRIDAY 13TH MARCH: Today our Government announced advice to cancel gatherings above 500 people (this is not a ban). At this stage, they have not advised the general public to stop their usual activities like going to work, grocery shopping and attending recreational activities. With precautionary measures in place, Urban Rec activities will go ahead as scheduled and all Urban Rec policies will remain in effect including the default and refund policy.
UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WILL LEAGUES BE PLACED ON HOLD?
- If the situation becomes extreme, and small gatherings are banned (or advised to cancel) by our government.
- If our venues decide to close
- If we are seeing a mass amount of forfeiting games, we may decide to pause leagues.
In any case, if we do decide to pause leagues, we will ensure your games are played when it is safe and appropriate to do so. We will reschedule (not cancel) your games.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO PLAY AT THE MOMENT?
That’s completely your choice, and completely acceptable. Please work with your team Captain and let them know. If your team does not have enough players, and wishes to forfeit your game, please contact us ASAP [email protected] (Forfeiting a game, means telling us with enough time to notify the opposition, please don’t leave it to the last minute and leave your opposition hanging – a default.