As a result of the initial consultation with a selection of clubs and stakeholders, we have produced an initial list of FAQ’s for the Return To Play (RTP) guidance document.
We will continue to add to this list as we receive common themes of feedback to the plan, or as Government advice changes that requires clarification.
The RTP is aligned to and takes into consideration the latest governmental and medical advice. Our plan has been overseen in its development by our Chief Medical Officer (Dr Dane Vishnubala) and is agile enough to change as and when government guidance is updated.
Our RTP provides the basketball community with a framework for returning to basketball that places the health & safety of everyone involved in the game as its primary focus.
The RTP is based on 5 key principles as below:
Yes.
Should any club or individual make an insurance claim (or protect themselves from liabilities) during the duration of the Coronavirus pandemic, their prospects of a successful claim would be affected on evidencing that they had complied with Government and Basketball England’ RTP guidance.
Essentially, we are not 100% sure and there maybe multiple factors. As new research emerges, we’ll update our members where possible.
If you have had mild symptoms you should be looking to return to basketball after a graded period of 4 weeks of exercise. For more severe episodes that have required a hospital or doctor visit, you could be looking at a period of up to 3 months.
If you have been in hospital with COVID-19, you will hopefully get guidance on when you can return to exercise. It is important to remember that you have had a serious illness and therefore taking your time to return to exercise is very important.
Effectively, they are another member of your household. As long as the two of you do not have any high-risk factors then it should be fine to continue as you have been albeit, being mindful of good hygiene practices.
If one or both of you were to be infected, you would have to follow Government isolation guidelines.
A temperature of over 37.8˚C is one of the three most common symptoms of COVID-19 and it is also one of the easiest to give us a good reading; people can't cheat with it.
Using the infra-red non-contact thermometer is a non-invasive way to measure the temperatures of individuals. An individual can easily take their own temperature. If the person has run or jogged to the venue there would not be a rise in temperature as much as this therefore it is assumed that a temperature as high as 37.8˚C would indicate a fever and therefore the person has to isolate.
An in-ear thermometer is a more reliable method of taking core temperature, but they rely on the use of repeat caps and will probably need someone to administer it.
Yes.
We have to know if anyone has symptoms that may infect others. Stopping those people from participating is really important when we are trying to stop the spread of the virus amongst the community.
We also need to know who attended each session in case someone later contracts COVID-19 and we need to contact trace everyone that that individual came into contact with.
The screening has to be conducted in a place away from others or where others will congregate. The car park is most likely the best place.
The screening must be conducted in a place away from others or where others will congregate. The car park may be the most ideal place.
We now know that most people will not know they have the virus for 48 hours before the symptoms commence. It is also most easily spread in that 48 hours so we can be infecting everyone around us before we even know about it.
Whilst we know that sweat is very unlikely to transmit the virus, other bodily fluid can and therefore disinfecting the ball is a good way to reduce the spread of infection.
We are all aware of those players that wipe their nose, mouth, eyes etc before taking a free throw, it is these small transmissions that may infect other players.
Remember for Level 3 everyone has to have their own ball so the risk of infection is lower, especially if everyone disinfects their balls before and after the sessions.
We would recommend the following as good facial coverings; Surgical masks, three-layer masks, fabric or cloth masks.
FFP3 masks should be reserved for clinical use by the NHS and stocks preserved for this important work. As the individuals will be screened, we do not perceive there to be a need for FFP3 masks, although this relies on all clubs to screen properly.
First Aiders should use their own clinical judgement.
It is advisable to wear these, firstly to stop any aerosol spread (water droplets from mouth during coughing, sneezing, talking etc) and secondly as a reminder not to touch your mouth, nose, eyes.
At this moment in time Basketball England do not have any funding opportunities for the purchase of PPE. We are however engaged in conversations with stakeholders and partners in relation to this matter and we will update everyone accordingly.
It doesn't matter who provides the ball as long as there is good hygiene to wipe/disinfect the ball before and during use.
In line with Government advice and following what other sports across the country are doing, we are asking that there is a designated individual that is able to be the 'Go To' Person in the club to provide guidance for all members about how to reduce the risks of COVID-19.
They should have a good knowledge of the Basketball England RTP Roadmap and what the club must do to keep their community safe. They should be able to pass information easily to all members when new content is released to our clubs and teams.
Click here to access the RTP guidance document, as a role description has been included as appendix 1
Yes.
Please do ask other members of the club to help with the roles as we do understand this initially might be a large task. Once processes are in place then it should be a fairly easy job to maintain the communications.
Anyone. It doesn't have to be a medic necessarily although a person with good access to communications at the club would be advisable. This is because a key component of the role is effective and timely communication with team managers, coaches, players and parents.
Essentially, as long as they follow the RTP Roadmap document then it should bean easy role to undertake.
However, we will be offering a webinar solely for Club COVID-19 Officers to ask questions and help iron out any questions. This will be announced in the coming weeks.
We are only asking that the club contact the individuals that would have come into contact with the infected individual 48 hours before symptoms arise.
We need to make sure the infection does not spread further than just the individual and the people they met, rather than the whole club or community.
The Government Contact tracing service will be able to contact the other people that individual will have come across outside of the basketball court.
We are keen to see as many people as possible to get access to basketball courts at a time when sport and exercise are so important for people's physical and mental health and we’ve encouraged court owners to give all members of the basketball community access to courts where it is safe to do so.
Unfortunately, we can’t order facility providers to open up their courts. Each facility will have to re-open with their own procedures and policies in place that everyone will have to adhere to.
The screening must be conducted in a place away from others or where others will congregate. The car park may be the most ideal place.
We are hoping to be able to play some fixtures at Level 2 of the RTP roadmap.
When that is, we are not sure and we, like most other Governing Bodies, will await further guidance from the medical community, Government and Sport England as to when it is appropriate to move to Level 2.
The levels depict how much social distancing is required. At Level 3, we can play with up to 6 people but maintain the 2-metre social distancing rule.
Once we move to Level 2, we predict that the Government will allow a further relaxing of the social distancing rules allowing us to train with full contact and potentially play some competitive fixtures.
At Level 1, we hope to be able to play fixtures in front of spectators, although no one knows how many that might be at the moment. We are expecting further guidance from the Government about what that may look like.
Due to the high infection rate within the country, the Government are advising to maintain the current social distancing rules therefore we cannot play any contact basketball.
It doesn't matter who provides the ball as long as there is good hygiene to wipe/disinfect the ball.
