Sport England advice for Step 4
New advice for Monday 19th July
The Prime Minister confirmed England will move to Step 4 in the government’s roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions on Monday 19 July.
Sport England has worked with the government to understand what this means for sport and physical activity and have now updated the frequently asked questions section on their website.
Government guidance
The government has updated the sport specific guidance for Step 4 to reflect the change in position and provide advice on how to reduce the risk of transmission.
Guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) measures for sports
This is just one piece of guidance for grassroots sport in Step 4 rather than the three pieces of guidance that was published in previous steps.
Guidance for events has already been released for Step 4.
Insight
The T&RA participated in a Step 4 call with Sport England who shared some insight concerning how people were feeling about coronavirus. This insight was taken from polling by Ipsos Mori and further information about this can be found on their website.
Answering questions about Step 4
During the Step 4 call, there were some questions that needed to be clarified. Sport England has now been able to provide some further information to these questions.
How long with Sport England recovery grants continue for?
The Small Grants RTP fund will remain open until the end of 2021. The focus for Small Grants may change during this time so that it's not solely focused on return to play. Further information about this fund can be found on their website.
Their Active Together Crowdfunding Initiative also remains open. This can help sports clubs set up and run their own crowdfunding campaigns to sustain themselves during coronavirus.
The next introduction to Crowdfunding webinar is being held on 17 August, and further information about Crowdfunder can be found on their website.
Can a coach or venue implement the NHS COVID Pass as a mandatory requirement for participants if they wish, even if they are not a ‘high risk’ activity?
This has been discussed with DCMS. Covid-status certification will not be required by law as a condition of entry for visitors to any setting.
Organisations are already able to ask visitors for proof of Covid-status, as long as they meet existing legal obligations, including equality law.
The government is providing a way for individuals to easily demonstrate their Covid-status. This can be achieved by completion of a full vaccine course, a recent negative test, or proof of natural immunity – through the NHS COVID Pass on the NHS Covid-19 app.
The Government will 'encourage and support' venues who host events which are deemed to be high risk, to use the NHS COVID Pass. How do we define what is 'high risk' so that we can establish whether or not we need to encourage our competition/event organisers to use the NHS COVID Pass?
The events guidance has now been released. There is no mention of ‘high risk’ events but the focus is on large, crowded settings, where people are likely to be in close proximity to others outside their household.
It also mentions how further guidance will be released on using the NHS COVID Pass shortly, which may provide further information for you. The exact wording used in the guidance is:
The government will work with organisations that operate large, crowded settings where people are likely to be in close proximity to others outside their household to encourage the use of the NHS COVID Pass.
What is the situation regarding travel to amber countries?
The government has advised quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated passengers returning from amber list countries.
