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The LATEST UPDATES on Coronavirus and Irish Sailing

From Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update 5^th January 2021        

As we know in the current environment where cases of infection are rising,  the parameters for the ‘Living with Covid’ plan are changing regularly and becoming more restrictive, it should be noted that the intent of current guidelines is to minimise movement of people and contact as much as possible. As restrictions are being tightened, it is appropriate to err on the side of caution.

The current guidelines as they relate to Exercise and Sporting Events, restricts any form of organised or supervised activity/training, however they do allow for people to take part in exercise on an individual basis without the need for others to be involved.

With this in mind, the fundamental principles on which to base the decision to go afloat throughout the pandemic thus far have not changed:

1. Compliance -  with Restrictions
2. Personal Responsibility -  for decision making
3. Self Help – returning to shore without the need of outside assistance
4. Risk Assessment – to ensure for  safe and objective decision making

We have been asked by the Minister to put in a formal submission directly to the Department to highlight any changes we feel are appropriate that would facilitate continued activities through the different levels of the Government’s Living with Covid Plan, without increasing the risk of spread of the virus. The key issue for us is to lobby (along with other non contact sports where competition presents no greater risk then training) for competitive activities to resume in levels where training and coaching activities are allowed. Our submission to the Department is due for 8^th January, and we hope to be able to give you a little more certainty with planning for 2021 in the coming weeks.

In the meantime we have published updated FAQ’s based on queries that have arisen from the most recent announcement, and we will continue to provide updates as soon as we can, following any further announcements.

If you have any additional queries, please email me harry@sailing.ie and we will do our best to clarify any of the Government’s guidelines.

Safe Sailing

Harry Hermon
CEO

▶ Irish Sailing Plan for Living with COVID-19 Level 5 with Amendments 1 Jan 2021

▶ FAQs @ 5 Jan 2021

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Update 30^th December 2020

The Level 5 with amendments that were to be in place until 12^th January have been revised following a record number of daily cases of Covid 19 infections reported this evening. An Taoiseach has announced further restrictions effective from midnight tonight for a period of at least a month.

The main changes as they affect Irish Sailing activities are as follows:

• Stay at home except for essential work and exercise within 5km of your home.
• No indoor or outdoor exercise group activities, including those involving children, should take place.
• Individual sailing only for single handers or same household crew, if your craft is within the 5km travel restriction.
• Professional, elite sports may continue behind closed doors.

Full details are published on Gov.ie

Stay safe

Harry Hermon
CEO
30 December 2020

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Update 23 December 2020

Level 5 with Amendments until 12^th January 2021

Following yesterday’s announcement by An Taoiseach the country is set to move to Level 5 of the Covid Plan with amendments.

The main points to note concerning Sailing activities are:

• As a non-contact sport Irish Sailing Clubs and Training Centres may remain open
• Non-contact training & coaching may take place outdoors for adults as well as juniors in pods of up to 15
• No sailing competition matches/events should take place except for professional and elite sports and horse racing and greyhound racing behind closed doors as per government guidelines.
• Travel outside your county will continue to be permitted up to and including 26 December. Those away from their place of residence after that period will be permitted to return to their place of residence.
• From 27 December you must stay within your county unless you need to leave for essential purposes
• Club catering facilities will be closed from 3pm on 24^th December after which they may open only for delivery and take away food

Harry Hermon

CEO

23 December 2020

 

 

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Update 18 December 2020 – Christmas

As of today, adjustments in the government Covid-19 restrictions come into play. This means that:

• We can now travel outside our county
• Households can mix with up to two other households

These changes stay in place until 6 January (or before depending on government guidelines). The Irish Sailing office will close from 21 December until 4 January 2021, and I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Harry Hermon
CEO
18 December 2020

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Level 3 restrictions (modified)

Update 1^st December

Irish Sailing has published Plan for living with Level 3 restrictions (modified) as per Government guidelines which come into effect today, the main points affecting sailing activity being:

• Non-contact organised training & coaching can resume in pods of 15. This allows for mixed household crew for double handers and keelboats with crew sailing in pods. 
• No sailing competition or events as per government guidelines
• Travel restrictions relaxed

During the period of Level 5 restrictions, Irish Sailing lobbied with a number of other non contact outdoor sports to allow competition to take place in levels where non contact training is allowed. We argued that for these sports we do not believe there is any increase in risk when in competition as distinct from training and coaching activities.

The response from the Chair of the sport expert group was:

“ There is a lot of merit in the proposal which you submitted. We appreciate the work that went into it and we are conscious of the frustration felt by your affiliated clubs and wider memberships.” They went on to say: “Ultimately it will be a decision for Government as to where we go to next month and how the levels might be amended. I would like to assure you that a key consideration at this time is clear communication from Government and providing a rational basis for the decisions which will be taken.”

Unfortunately it appears the Government did not accept our submission in the publication of the Level 3 (modified) restrictions, and as yet have not given us a rational basis for the decision. We will continue to seek clarity with the other outdoor non contact sports on the reasoning for not accepting the proposal in the coming days, and we will continue to pursue this submission to allow competition for outdoor non contact sport in advance of the New Year.

If you need clarity on anything, please contact me harry@sailing.ie and I will add them theo the FAQ Document which we will publish shortly.

Stay Safe,

Harry Hermon
CEO

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Update 27^th November 2020

Level 3 Restrictions (modified) 1 December

The Taoiseach announced today a move to Level 3 Restrictions (modified) to take effect from Tuesday 1^st December.

The main points of these restrictions as they impact on sailing activity are:

1. Non-contact organised training & coaching can resume in pods of 15. This allows for mixed household crew for double handers and keelboats with crew sailing in pods. 
2. Professional and Elite sailing can continue
3. Irish Sailing Accredited Instructor Training can resume

With respect to Travel restrictions, county restrictions apply to all with the exception for work, education, medical and other essential purposes. 

We will publish an updated Living with Covid Plan for Level 3 ‘with enhancements’ and FAQ’s early next week.

In the meantime stay safe,

Harry Hermon
CEO

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Update Friday 23^rd October

L5 Restrictions Clarified

The Sport Ireland Expert Group has issued clarification on L5 Restrictions as they apply to sporting activities. Irish Sailing has now published it’s Living with Covid 19 - Level 5 plan for sailing, along with a set of FAQ’s to give further clarity.

 

Any further queries should be addressed to Harry Hermon: harry@sailing.ie.

Sport Expert Group’s Guidance:

With regard to sport, the restrictions applicable in Level 5 are as follows:

1. No training or matches should take place with the following exceptions:

• Non-contact training can continue for school aged children, outdoors in pods of 15
• Professional, elite sports and senior inter-county Gaelic games, horse-racing and greyhound racing are permitted to continue behind closed doors

2. All other training activities should be individual only.
3. No exercise or dance classes are permitted.
4. Gyms/leisure centres/swimming pools closed.
5. Exercise within 5 kilometres of home.

Facilities

As they are not recognised as essential services, the decision of Government is that all gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools and other sports facilities must close in the Level 5 restrictions. This includes both indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

It is permitted to open sports facilities for training sessions and scheduled matches for the exempted categories of sport, i.e. high performance, professional and senior inter-county Gaelic games. It will also be permitted to open outdoor sports facilities for structured training sessions by school aged children, i.e. those aged 18 years and younger, in pods of no more than 15, under the supervision of designated coaches and in compliance with approved COVID-19 protocols and all relevant public health guidance.

During these training sessions it will only be permitted for participants and relevant coaching and support personnel to be present. In the case of children’s sport, parents will be permitted to attend for child safeguarding purposes, however they will be required to comply with social distancing and other public health advice.

Professional & Elite Sport

Professional and elite sport must adhere to comprehensive protocols, which ensure extraordinary levels of control and compliance are in place. Professional and elite sport is defined as follows;

• Professional sports people or sports people who participate within professional competition.
• A Member of a high performance team funded by Sport Ireland.
• Those who compete at major international events including European and World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is advised that these are senior athletes only within one of the following categories:
  • Athletes on the 2020 International Carding Scheme
  • Players on the 2020 Team Ireland Golf Scheme
  • Senior riders in Show-Jumping, Eventing & Dressage
  • Senior team players in Hockey, Cricket, and Rugby Sevens.

Inter-county sport refers specifically to senior competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association or the Camogie Association.

It is important to note that protocols as they apply to each sport will be prepared and communicated directly by the respective National Governing Bodies.

Non-contact training for school aged children

Specific guidance on non-contact training for school agreed children will be issued by Government. In the interim, the following is advised:

• Underage activity refers to those in primary and secondary school who are aged 18 years and younger
• Participants and coaches may travel beyond the 5km limit to attend training. Car-pooling should continue to be avoided
• Outdoor facilities may open only to allow the activity to take place. Only those participating in and conducting the training session should attend.

Stay safe,

Harry Hermon

CEO

Plan for Living with COVID-19 Level 5

COVID-19 FAQs

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Update 22 October 2020

Following a move to Level 5 Restrictions, we are awaiting feedback from the Sport Expert Group before publishing a final draft of the plan and FAQ’s.

The main points of Level 5 as they impact on sailing activity are:

• Non-contact organised training can continue for school-aged children outdoors in pods of 15
• Individual sailing for adults may continue for non-organised activity in single handers and same household crewed boats
• Professional and Elite sailing can continue
• No Irish Sailing Accredited Instructor Training

With respect to Level 5 Travel restrictions, everyone is advised to stay at home except for exercise within 5km of your home and/or essential journeys. Irish Sailing understands that there may be sanctions in the form of fines for those who are stopped at garda checkpoints and whose journey is not deemed essential.

Irish Sailing has written to the Garda press office requesting that those manning checkpoints understand that:

1. Irish Sailing has received confirmation from Sport Ireland that training can continue for school-aged children outdoors, and that participants, parents, coaches and supervisors may travel outside their 5KM limit to take part in these activities.

2. In addition, the operation of ports and harbours are deemed essential and any service required for the safe provision of a service for the operation of ports and harbours is allowed. For Irish Sailing activities this means that people travelling for essential maintenance, lifting and security of boats may (subject to local restrictions imposed by harbours) travel outside the 5km limit to perform these tasks.

Irish Sailing members travelling for either of the reasons above should be in a position to validate their journey by way of confirmation from the club or activity centre confirming their engagement with the relevant organisation and the purpose for their journey.

We will issue further updates should we receive any further advice from the Sport Ireland Expert Group.

In the meantime stay safe,

Harry Hermon
CEO

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Update Tuesday 20th October 2020:

Entire country moves to Level 5

As per the Government announcement last night, the entire country now moves to Level 5 for six weeks starting on Wednesday night. We will now begin the process of updating the Irish Sailing Plan for Living with Covid based on the available government advice, and will post the updated Plan here soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your Regional Development or Training Officer:

• 📧 West: Ciaran Murphy Ciaran.murphy@sailing.ie
• 📧 East: Sarah-Louise Rossiter sl.rossiter@sailing.ie
• 📧 South: Gail MacAllister gail.macallister@sailing.ie
• 📧 Training: Dave Garvey dave@sailing.ie

Stay safe

Harry Hermon, CEO

#sailsmart #inthistogether

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Update: Level 3 Enhanced Covid restrictions and Level 4

As per the Government announcement last night, the entire country remains on Level 3 but with “Enhanced” restrictions, with some border counties (Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan) moving to Level 4.

Please refer to our Irish Sailing Plan for Living with Covid (HERE) which we have updated today based on the current government advice available.

If you have questions, please contact your Regional Development or Training Officers:

• West: Ciaran Murphy ciaran.murphy@sailing.ie
• East: Sarah-Louise Rossiter sl.rossiter@sailing.ie
• South: Gail MacAllister gail.macallister@sailing.ie
• Training: Dave Garvey dave@sailing.ie

#sailsmart and stay safe

Harry Hermon, CEO

 

 

Update, 5 October 2020:

Entire country moved to Level 3 restrictions

As outlined by Government this evening, the entire country is now moving to Level 3 of Covid restrictions. In our update for Dublin and Donegal last week, under Level 3 there are two areas of particular importance for sailing:

1. Pods and Social Distancing: only single-handed or same-household sailing is allowed unless social distancing can be maintained while aboard
2. Competition: no domestic sailing competition permitted (Local, Regional or National).

If you have any questions, please contact me. #sailsmart and stay safe.

Harry Hermon, CEO.

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Update Monday 21 September 2020: Irish Sailing Living with Covid Plan

Since the Government published its Resilience and Recovery Framework last week, we have been working with Sport Ireland to understand what the new guidelines mean for sailing, and how we revise our plan to incorporate this guidance. The Irish Sailing Plan for Living with Covid is now attached below. It outlines how each Level affects our sports in terms of indoor and outdoor gatherings, training and education, competitions and events, catering and club bars, workplace access, domestic travel, and the over 70s and medically vulnerable.

It must be noted that while the whole country is at Level 2, Dublin remains at Level 3 with some extra localised restrictions. This variation in Levels and extra localised restrictions may affect the plan in the coming weeks. We will keep you updated here.

As always, we welcome your feedback.

#sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO

Irish Sailing Plan for Living with COVID-19

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Update 18 September 2020

Since yesterday's update, we have been given some further clarification around social distancing measures in L2 and L3, and what competitions (in sailing terms) are exempt.

Level 2

Domestic Travel – All Ireland

Irish Sailing Training and Competition – Operating in the ‘pod’ system as we are currently and facilitate contact tracing.

Level 3

Domestic Travel – Within County Boundaries (subject to exemptions)

Irish Sailing Competition – No Competition (subject to exemptions)

Irish Sailing Training – Non-Contact Training – ie: training only where social distancing is possible. The ‘pod’ terminology used in the Government plan does not allow for a compromise of social distancing in Level 3.

All sporting activity (subject to exemptions*) should adhere to social distancing (eg single handed, same household crew or where the boat/activity is large enough to accommodate multiple households).

*Level 3 Exemptions

• Professional - Professional Sports People or Sports people who participate within professional competition.
• Elite - A Member of a high performance team funded by Sport Ireland.
• Inter County Sports – Applicable to GAA only
• Senior Club Championships – Senior National Competition – the intent being to facilitate teams operating in ‘bubbles’ traveling to a National Championship event. It is not intended to apply to mass participation events (eg Sailing National Championships).

We hope this clarifies the position, and apologies for any inconvenience. We will post any further updates as soon as we have them and we will publish the full five level plan for sailing early next week.

In the meantime any queries please direct them to harry@sailing.ie

Harry Hermon
CEO

18 Sept 2020

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Update 17 September 2020

Sailing with Covid Plan

Following the Government announcement earlier in the week to launch the new ‘Living with Covid Plan’, Irish Sailing has been drafting a revised plan for sailing incorporating the new Government guidelines. We are seeking clarity on a number of queries in respect of the application of the advice and restrictions for sailing. To date we have received some response to specific questions, however there are still some gaps to be filled before we can publish a final plan, we hope early next week.

In the meantime for the immediate future the advice given by Sport Ireland is …  “In relation to competition, it is permissible for participants that fall under the professional/elite/inter-county sports/senior club championship banner to travel to pre-planned competition to maintain fixtures.”

Translated for Sailing this means:

Level 2

For those on Level 2 there is little if any change to the current status for organising sailing activities.

Level 3

For level 3 the plan states that sports training should be non-contact, and there should be no matches or events to take place. There are exemptions however ... “Professional/elite/inter-county/club championship/horse-racing can take place behind closed doors.” Translated into sailing terms - The intent is to allow any scheduled national events or training, and club race series that are already underway to be completed. However, there should be no new events or race series started.

In the immediate future this means, under Level 3 it is permissible for the following to go ahead:

• Any existing Regional or National Championships published in the Irish Sailing Calendar
• Any existing scheduled instructor training, or coaching for regional or national squads
• Any existing club race series that has not completed its final race

Current Restrictions For Dublin

Dublin is currently on Level 2 with additional restrictions. While the current status remains in place, Sport Ireland’s advice is … “Based on current Government advice if the competitors are coming from outside Dublin to participate in senior national competition then that is permissible. The same principles apply for journey out of Dublin.”

For full details go HERE.

We will further update this advice once we have clarity, we hope early next week.

Harry Hermon
CEO

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Covid-19 Update, Tuesday 15 September 2020

The Government announced earlier today their new Living with Covid plan (see link below) which outlines a six-month plan for the country with five levels of restrictions. The entire country is currently at Level 2 with some extra restrictions for Dublin.

We will now go through the Government document to fully understand the implications of all the Levels, and what the new framework means for our sports and our Return to Sailing Plan. We are also seeking clarification from the Sport Ireland Expert group on how the extra restrictions for Dublin will be applied to sporting activities and we will aim to update you in the next few days.

In the meantime, stay safe #sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO

https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/publication/acc4de-easing-the-covid-19-restrictions-on-10-august-phase-4/

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Update 19 August 2020

Full Government Statement on New Measures August 18, 2020 full statement details - HERE

Extract on sport ...

Sporting events and matches can continue to take place but behind closed doors with:

• Strict avoidance of gatherings, including social gatherings, before or after events
• Strict adherence to 2 metre physical distancing before and after events, during breaks in play, on the sidelines and avoidance of team huddles
• Gyms/leisure centres/swimming pools/exercise and dance studios will remain open with strict distancing and other appropriate protective measures in place
• Limits of 6 apply to exercise and dance classes with appropriate physical distancing
• Limits of 15 apply to groups outside including training sessions (with exception of elite/professional sports and horseracing). There should be no mixing between groups

Harry Hermon
Irish Sailing CEO
19 August 2020

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Update 18 August 2020

Tuesday 18 August – Further Restrictions Announced by Government

This evening the Taoiseach announced a further tightening of Covid 19 restrictions which come into force tonight at midnight. For Irish Sailing organisations we have interpreted the key changes as follows:  

• Outdoor gatherings restricted to a maximum of 15 people outdoors. This means that once again participants will need to be managed closely to avoid gatherings of more than 15 people developing when ashore.
   
• All sporting events are still permitted to take place behind closed doors – so sailing events can take place and whilst on the water boats will continue to be self-contained units with boat crews and race management teams working in pods. No spectators allowed.

• Training for sports to include a maximum group size of 15 outdoors and 6 indoors including coaches etc. Irish Sailing’s interpretation is that this means training and coaching activities can continue to have multiple groups operating from a single venue, as long as we ensure we maintain separation of training groups with a maximum of 15 people in each group whilst outdoors, , *and 6 people indoors.
   

*The restriction for 6 people indoors applies to training involving exercise and dance classes with appropriate physical distancing

* = UPDATE 19 August 2020

 

Harry Hermon
Irish Sailing CEO
18 August 2020

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Update 6 August 2020

Updated Phase 3 Frequently Asked Questions

The Government announced earlier this week (Tuesday 4^th August) that Phase 4 of the Roadmap for Reopening Ireland will be delayed. This means that our own Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 4 will be delayed also. As Phase 4 does not see much change for our sports, we see Phase 3 as how we will operate for the foreseeable future. With this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to update the Phase 3 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) as a reminder:

The main points to note in Phase 3 are:

• Travel restrictions within Ireland ease
• All training, competitive and recreational activity to resume in compliance with guidelines
• Multi household crewed boats in ‘pods’ (maintaining regular crew as much as possible)
• National, Regional and Club racing events resume
• Club Catering Facilities Open
• Up to 200 people can gather outside, and indoor gatherings of up to 50 people
• Contact tracing must continue, and social distancing should be maintained on land in accordance with Government guidelines
• Irish Sailing Regional Development Support continues for clubs and centres, and the office will continue to be staffed in a limited capacity to provide all services (ICCs, Commercial Endorsements etc)

FAQ Page HERE

Harry Hermon
Irish Sailing CEO
6 August 2020

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Update Friday 17^th July 2020:

Phase 4 of Governments Roadmap deferred to 10^th August

The Government has announced that the planned transition to Phase 4 of the roadmap for the lifting of restrictions has been deferred to  the 10^th August. For Irish Sailing this will mean that only those Sailing Clubs serving food will be able to open their clubhouse bars for the next three weeks. It also means that the relaxation on certain travel restrictions will also be deferred.

The two key issues Irish Sailing is currently working on is for consistency on current travel restrictions and clarity on the distribution of the Governments €70m subvention package for sport.

Under current restrictions for Overseas Travel “The arrival of personal non-national maritime leisure vessels is banned (with exceptions such as 'port in a storm')”. Essentially it is possible for foreigners to crew on someone else’s boat if they travel to Ireland by plane or ferry (after a period of quarantine), but not if they sail their own boat into an Irish Port or Harbour. We are told the Department of Sport will be discussing this directly with their colleagues in Maritime as part of the advancements on travel, however we still do not have a timeline on when this anomaly will be addressed.

There is still no clarity on the criteria for the distribution of the €70 funding package for Sport announced on 20^th June. This funding package will support the sport sector through:

• funding of up to €40 million for the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU;
• a Resilience Fund of up to €10 million to support the national governing bodies of sport,
• a Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15 million to support clubs; and
• a Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m.

The NGB funds will be administrated through Sport Ireland and the club grants through the NGBs. We have been told the provisional timeline on this is – criteria for funding to be confirmed by the end of July, applications to be in by September and funds will be distributed in October. We anticipate we will know the criteria and be in a position to seek help from clubs to build the case for funding to support sailing early in August.

Safe sailing and #sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO Irish Sailing

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Update Friday 26 June 2020 :

Irish Sailing publishes Phase 3 & 4 of Return to Sailing Scheme

Phase 3 & 4 of the Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme can now be found HERE. The revised document takes into account the easing of Covid-19 restrictions announced by Government last week, and which come into effect from Monday 29 June. Essentially, as there is little change in the transition from Phase 3 to Phase 4, so this plan is likely to direct how our sports will be organised for the foreseeable future.

As per our update earlier this week, the main points to note in Phase 3 are:

• Travel restrictions ease further
• All training, competitive and recreational activity to resume in compliance with guidelines
• Multi household crewed boats in ‘pods’ (maintaining regular crew as much as possible)
• National, Regional and Club racing events resume
• Club Catering Facilities Open
• Up to 200 people can gather outside, and indoor gatherings of up to 50 people
• Contact tracing must continue, and social distancing should be maintained on land in accordance with Government guidelines
• Irish Sailing Regional Development Support continues for clubs and centres, and the office will continue to be staffed in a limited capacity to provide all services (ICCs, Commercial Endorsements etc)

In addition to the Return to Sailing Phase 3 & 4, you’ll find the Risk Assessment document which has been updated to reflect the ease in restrictions, and the FAQs document, also updated to reflect questions on Phase 2 & 3 from clubs and centres.

The Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 3 & 4 remains in place with the caveat that Government guidelines may change at any stage. If appropriate, we will revise the plan accordingly, reflecting updates from Government. However, it remains a fact that the responsible actions of the sailing community have marked our sports as being low risk, vital to the health and wellbeing of our society, and will play a large part in our country’s return to normalcy.

You can read the full Government Revised Roadmap here, the NEPHET advice to Government here, and the Government’s advice on organising summer camps here.

All our updates and our Covid 19 Toolbox will continue to be posted on this page.

Safe sailing and #sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update Tuesday 23 June 2020

Irish Sailing in the process of revising the Phase 3 & 4 of Return to Sailing Scheme

As per the Taoiseach’s announcement last Friday, we are in the process of revising Phase 3 & 4 of our Return to Sailing Scheme. While we realise that clubs and centres will be under pressure to turn around changes quickly for the proposed 29 June start date, we also need to ensure that Sport Ireland and other Government stakeholders get behind the plan. It is recognised that sailing has the particular advantage of being an outdoor sport and as such is a low risk sport. There has also been recognition of the responsible attitude of Irish Sailing organisations as they put their plans in place to lift restrictions, and we are anxious this continues into Phase 3. It appears that there will be little change in activities on the water between Phases 3 & 4, so effectively the plan for Phase 3 is likely to be in place for the foreseeable future (ie the ‘New Normal’).

We feel it is important to share our current thinking at this stage to help Clubs and Centres with their planning. See below the main changes that we are working on– however this may be subject to change in the final draft:

• The focus for activities will be to maintain physical distancing where possible, and to put in place effective measures (eg following Government guidelines on contact tracing and face masks)
• Local, Regional and National competition may resume
• Multi-household groups will be able crew on boats, committee boats, safety boats using a ‘pod’ system (maintaining regular crew as much as possible)
• Training will also be encouraged to use a ‘pod’ system as much as possible (ie the same groups working with the same instructor for the duration of the course)
• Travel restrictions expanded to all Ireland
• Up to 200 people can gather outdoors
• Club catering facilities serving a ‘substantial meal’ may open

Our intention is to discuss a draft of the plan with Clubs and Centres on Thursday from which we will update our FAQ section.

#sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update, 22 June 2020 

Irish Sailing to publish Phase 3 & 4 Return to Sailing Scheme documents this week.

As per the Taoiseach’s announcement last Friday (19 June), sport will see the significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from Phase 3 onwards, starting on 29 June. We are in the process of revising our Phase 3 and 4 Return to Sailing Scheme to reflect this.

As with previous phases , the first step is to understand the impact of the new Government guidelines on Irish Sailing activities and share a revised plan with Clubs and Centres prior to discussing it with them on Thursday 25^th June. We anticipate that pending any last minute changes from Government, we will then be able to publish Phase 3 & 4 on Friday 26 June, along with the updated FAQs and Risk Assessment Documents.

You can find all our Covid-19 updates on this page.

Safe sailing and #sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update Friday 19 June 2020

An Taoiseach announces further Lifting of Restrictions from 29^th June

This evening An Taoiseach announced plans to “accelerate the reopening of our society and economy with most things in roadmap now being moved to Phase 3 on 29 June”.

Although the statement included a commitment for all sporting activities including full contact sports be allowed to resume, there is currently very little detail communicated or published, and we still have no clarity on how this impacts Irish Sailing’s ‘Return to Sailing Scheme’ for Phase 3.

We anticipate we will be in a position to publish our Phase 3 plan early next week, subject to receipt of clarity around the Taoiseach’s announcement.

#sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update Tuesday 16 June

Irish Sailing waits for the Sport Expert Group’s response to Phase 3 & 4 Return to Sailing proposal

Irish Sailing has submitted a proposal to the Sport Expert Group for Phase 3 & 4 of our Return to Sailing Scheme. The proposal seeks to allow mixed household crew (in a pod system) using regular crew and effective contact tracing as the mitigating factor.

Although Government guidelines for organising children’s summer camps have been published HERE, it hasn’t specifically addressed any relaxation of social distancing measures. We hope to have a response on our Phase 3 & 4 proposal early next week, along with an indication of the Government’s revised Phase 3 & 4 Roadmap.

In addition, the Federation of Irish Sport’s call for a resilience fund was acknowledged by Minister Griffin, and speaking in the Dail last week, both he and Minister Ross referenced the challenges the sport sector is facing and their awareness of the requirement for a fund for Sport. A number of opposition TDs also referenced the fund and their support for same. All spokespeople from a cross-sector of Irish politics referenced the significant work sport organisations, clubs and volunteers have undertaken during Covid19 and the telling impact that it has had on Irish communities.

As always, we will continue to update you as soon as we receive any further information.

In the meantime - #sailsmart

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update Friday 5 June

Irish Sailing “Return to Sailing Phase 2 Scheme” begins on Monday 8 June

An Taoiseach today confirmed the commencement of Phase 2 of the Government Roadmap due to start on Monday 8 June. Phase 2 of our Irish Sailing “Return to Sailing Scheme” is now updated to outline the measures that sailing, windsurfing and powerboating organisations and members can put in place to ensure a safe return to the water.

The changes confirmed by the Government’s Sport Expert Group for the Return to Sailing Phase 2 (HERE) includes:

1. Travel restrictions extended from 5km to 20km or within your county – whichever is greater
2. Non-competitive supervised and unsupervised activity
3. Group size participating in sport grows from 4 to 15 participants plus 2 support staff/volunteers
4. Mixed household crew for multi handers where social distancing can be maintained
5. Irish Sailing Office is staffed in a limited capacity sufficient to provide all services (ICCs, Commercial Endorsements etc)
6. Regional Development Support for clubs and centres active

The Return to Sailing Phase 2 includes updated guidelines and Risk Assessment, and a new FAQs page following consultations with clubs and centres.

There are further changes planned for the later phases, and we will update the plan as soon as we have clarity around how this might impact the return to Sailing Scheme.

As always, I welcome your feedback @harry@sailing.ie. Safe sailing and #sailsmart.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

 

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Update Thursday 28^th May 2020

The Government have established an ‘Expert Group’ with representatives from the Department, Sport Ireland and Sporting Bodies to help with consistency in the approach for returning to sport. Irish Sailing is now working with this group for clarity around the lifting of restrictions as we transition through the phases.

Sport Ireland have suggested that each organisation should appoint a Covid 19 Officer to help establish protocols for preventing the spread of the virus, and who would be Irish Sailing’s main point of contact in this area. To date we have been communicating directly with Commodores and Centre Principles for the distribution of Covid 19 information, and unless any organisation provides details of a specific Covid 19 Officer, we will continue to liaise with the commodore/centre principle on Covid 19 matters.

The Expert Group have informed us that information and clarity around the Phases 2-5 will be published on a “phase by phase basis as the public health situation evolves over time”. The main changes in the Governments Phase 2 roadmap for sport relates to:

• the Travel Restrictions being extended from 5km to 20km – although questions have been asked, it is unlikely that any exceptions will be made for sporting clubs.
• the restrictions on group size participating (currently 4 people in Phase 1) are being increased to include “team sports training in small groups (but not matches)”. While a final definition on ‘small groups’ is not yet available, for planning purposes sports are recommended to use up to 10 participants at this point.

Social distancing will still be in place for sport throughout phase 2.

We will continue to provide updates as soon as any information becomes available.

Safe Sailing and Sail Smart

Harry Hermon
CEO

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Update Saturday 16^th May 2020

The Taoiseach today confirmed the commencement of Phase 1 of Restrictions. The Irish Coast Guard have also issued a release emphasising the importance of continuing to observe current Covid -19 guidelines, as well as attending to their personal safety when engaging in any water-based or coastal activity. They also mentioned that many clubs and organisations have provided their members with detailed guidelines to be followed with the commencement of phase 1 of the roadmap.

It is now up to us; the sailing, windsurfing and powerboating community to act responsibly if we are to continue to be able to go afloat for the foreseeable future. There are still some areas that Irish Sailing are seeking clarity from Government on for the latter phases – in particular around social distancing and travel restrictions, and in the meantime please apply the four principles to aid your decision making:

• Compliance with restrictions
• Personal Responsibility
• Self Help
• Risk Assessment

Harry Hermon
CEO

Safe Sailing. Sail Smart.

• Coastguard Press Release 16 May 2020 HERE

• Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 1 HERE

• Return to Sailing Questions and Answers Here

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Update, 12 May 2020: “Return to Sailing” Phase 1 

Phase 1 of the “Irish Sailing Return to Sailing” Scheme is designed to support clubs, centres and members to put measures in place that will allow the safe return to our sports on a gradual basis, subject to the lifting of the Coastguard’s current advisory notice. The Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 1 includes three sections:

1. 4 x fundamental principles that will affect the decision to go afloat:
   • Compliance with current Covid 19 restrictions
   • Personal responsibility – for your own safety and compliance
   • Self help  - alternative means of safely returning to shore
   • Risk Assessment – assisting the decision making process
2. Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 1 (starting on 18 May)
3. A Risk Assessment template for organisations. Other supports will be published soon, including a FAQ section on our website, and a “Safety Testing” document which will give more practical tips on safely returning to your boat. The government also published their own Return to Work protocol which we will be referencing https://dbei.gov.ie/en/Publications/Return-to-Work-Safely-Protocol.html

We continue to work with Sport Ireland on guidelines for Phase 2 and beyond, with the hope that travel restrictions may be reviewed, and multi-household groups be allowed to convene.

In the meantime, by working together and using these Phase 1 principles and guidelines sensibly and responsibly, we can make sure that our return to the water is safe for all.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

... Download the Irish Sailing Return to Sailing Scheme Phase 1 HERE

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Update, 8 May 2020: Irish Sailing working with Sport Ireland on a “Return to Sailing” document outlining guidelines for a return to our sports 

Following the Government’s roadmap launch on 1 May, we have been working in consultation with Irish Sailing Clubs and Training centres to develop some initial guidelines to help clubs and activity centres with their early planning. The draft “Return to Sailing” document is a first look at Irish Sailing’s recommendations for how sailing, windsurfing and powerboating activities may be resumed on a phased basis. At the same time, Sport Ireland have advised they are drafting a ‘Return to Sport Document’ giving more clarity around the Government’s plan, and have indicated they believe sailing will be able to resume in Phase 1, subject to approval of our plan and the lifting of the Coastguards current advisory notice.

We hope to have more information on this early next week, at which time we can finalise the ‘Return to Sailing Scheme’.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Update, 5 May 2020 – Irish Sailing seeking clarification from Department of Sport

With Phase 1 of restriction easing beginning on 18 May, we are currently drafting a plan while we seek clarification from the Department of Sport on a number of issues. Careful consideration must go into the plan as we have a wide number of different stakeholder groups requiring scenarios to cope with social distancing regulations.  We anticipate that we will have this draft plan to discuss with Clubs, Centres and members towards the end of this week.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Friday 1 May 2020: Covid-19 Update on extending restrictions 

This evening Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced an extension to the current restrictions until Monday 18 May. He stated that from that date, some sporting activity would be allowed to commence in small groups. As soon as the Government’s roadmap for phased easing of restrictions is published, we will be in a position to act and will update on any plans as soon as we can.  

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

PDF Download - Government Roadmap for Reopening

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Wednesday 29 April

Covid-19 update on the Irish Sailing “Return to Sailing Scheme” proposal to Sport Ireland

Return to Sailing Scheme

Since the shutdown commenced, Irish Sailing has been communicating on behalf of our members with various government stakeholders to present a case for our sport to be viewed as a ‘low risk’ activity, so that we will be allowed to return to sailing as quickly and safely as possible as restrictions start to be lifted. We believe that with appropriate measures, a basic level of safe and responsible activity can be delivered to get our members active on the water.

To this end, we submitted a proposal to Sport Ireland (the Government’s agency coordinating a return to sport activities) outlining protocols and priorities in a “Return to Sailing Scheme” document. As our members know, it is a fundamental principal of sailing that the decision to go afloat both for individuals and activity organisers is based on a combination of self-responsibility and risk assessment. The Return to Sailing Scheme proposed by Irish Sailing extends these principles to include the mitigation of Covid 19 risks to allow individuals and activity organisers make informed decisions on their own interests and activities. 

Irish Sailing believes that limited activities can take place even within current guidelines, however there are some measures that were included in our submission for the lifting of restrictions that we feel would significantly facilitate boating activities. These include:

•  Irish Sailing Clubs and Accredited Training Centres allowed to organise activities in compliance with National guideline
• Social gatherings of two (or more) households permitted to enable double handed sailing
• 2km limit for exercise extended to allow travel to the venue
• Public marinas and boat maintenance facilities open to allow essential access, lifting and maintenance
• Over 70’s who are currently cocooning allowed access to their boats to facilitate their health and well being
• Access for boat owners to maintain their craft and minimise damage of facilities and property in case of storm or bad weather

Whilst there is currently much media coverage around the lifting of restrictions, and an announcement to be made in the coming days which is causing some confusion and speculation, Irish Sailing can only respond to official announcements, and we will communicate any options for returning to sailing activities as and when they are announced.

At this challenging time for all, Irish Sailing is focused on getting our members active on the water as soon as is safely possible. Members will be first to hear when this possible.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Monday 20 April 2020 15.54

Covid-19 Update – Irish Sailing drawing up proposals for a return to sailing when restrictions are lifted

Since the Taoiseach announced full restrictions and closure of clubs and activity centres last month, with the latest update being the continuance of full restrictions until at least May 5^th, Irish Sailing has been looking ahead to the process by which we might be in a position to return to the water, and start organising activities once more. The way in which different people access sailing and boating both recreationally and competitively is very varied, and we need to ensure all aspects of the sport are included in any plan to return. We are now working on proposals that will be submitted to Sport Ireland outlining how we might be in a position to adapt our activities in order to remain compliant with restrictions as they are lifted. We will keep you updated.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Friday 10 April 2020 17:00

The Taoiseach has announced that the Covid-19 restrictions will be extended for a further three weeks until Tuesday 5 May. Leo Varadkar made the announcement this afternoon following a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency team today.

He thanked the Irish people for their forbearance and sacrifice, in the effort to stop the spread of Covid-19 and also said people are wondering when life will get back to normal but no one knows for certain when that will be, or how our lives will be different. 

All we can do at the moment is take one day at a time and hopefully we’ll be back sailing soon.

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing

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Saturday 28 March 2020 

Government announces “stay at home” measures for two weeks.

Yesterday evening the Taoiseach announced strict measures for people to stay at home for the next two weeks until Easter Sunday. From midnight last night (27 March) we are all asked to stay at home in virtually all circumstances and all public and private gatherings have been banned for two weeks.

The only exceptions to the stay-at-home rule is for travel to health, social care or other essential work, shopping for food and takeaways, medical appointments and for vital family reasons such as providing care. People will also be allowed take “brief, individual” physical exercise within 2km of their home, and farming will continue. The full government statement can be read here https://www.gov.ie/en/news/7e0924-latest-updates-on-covid-19-coronavirus/

As a result, the Irish Sailing office will now be closed and some of our services will be unavailable. We will all continue to work remotely and are available on email and mobile – our contact list is here: https://www.sailing.ie/About-Us/Irish-Sailing-Staff

Harry Hermon, CEO, Irish Sailing
28 March 2020

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Thursday 26 March 2020

During the current restrictions Irish Sailing continue to work and plan so that when sailing commences, we all get up and running as quickly as possible. We’ve outlined some of the changes and areas we’re working on below.

TRAINING

More detailed information of Training arrangements may be found HERE- www.sailing.ie/Coronavirus#1425

In order to try and minimise the impact of these restrictions and allow for activities to return to some kind of normal as soon as possible when the situation allows Irish Sailing will be putting the following arrangements in place to ensure Training Centres may resume activities quickly once restrictions are lifted:

Postponed / Cancelled Instructor Courses - Irish Sailing will maintain a record of all currently scheduled instructor courses. Once there is greater clarity around a timescale for the resumption of activity Irish Sailing will work with the respective Instructor Trainer groups to re-schedule course as efficiently as possible.

Senior Instructor Briefings - Senior Instructor briefings will take place, held online if necessary,  to provide information on a return to normal activity for any Senior Instructors requiring re-validation or returning with a lapsed qualification..

Instructor CPD / Revalidation - As it is unlikely to be possible to schedule CPD / Revalidation days ahead of the main sailing season Instructors due to revalidate their qualification during 2020 will be given an extension to the validity of their current qualification to allow them to instruct this summer.

Emergency Care certification requirements - Due to the restricted availability of emergency care training courses the requirement to hold an emergency care certificate for certification of Irish Sailing Instructors will be suspended for newly qualifying instructors. Currently qualified instructors with emergency care certificates which lapse this year will be permitted to continue instructing until they are in a position to revalidate their qualification.

Safeguarding Requirements - Due to the restricted availability of Sport Ireland Safeguarding courses a temporary on line measure for Safeguarding is available.

Senior Instructor Briefings – These will focus on managing courses with regard to the arrangements which have been made for newly qualifying instructors and instructors unable to revalidate. The Senior Instructor briefings will be a requirement for any Senior Instructors requiring re-validation or returning with a lapsed qualification.

Training Centre Inspections - The normal programme of Training Centre inspections for accreditation will be suspended for the 2020 season and replaced by support visits.

Guidance Document - Irish Sailing will be producing a guidance document outlining the arrangements which have been put in place to manage the impact of the current restrictions.

Online resources - Irish Sailing will look at what kind of online resources can be made available to Instructors and Training Centres to assist in preparing for the sailing season during this period of suspended activity.

Sail & Motor Cruising Courses – Some variations to the normal requirements will be permitted to allow cruising schools to resume activities as soon as the situation permits.

RACING

Qualifications - As a result of the cancellation of the race officials conference -  the qualifications of those race officials who require revalidation this year will automatically be revalidated.

Other Initiatives - The Race Officials group are currently working on a number of initiatives during the shutdown including a Racing Rules Poster, an eSailing programme, quizzes and competitions. We also continue to work on funding applications, coach development, as well as online courses for umpires.

Events Calendar – We are updating the events calendar (www.sailing.ie/events) as events are cancelled/postponed and rescheduled. We ask that clubs and event organisers continue to send in their updates (racing@sailing.ie)  

OFFICE SERVICES

Certificates & Handicaps – We are still able to provide the support services to process applications of ICC’s, Commercial Endorsements, Sail Numbers, Handicaps, Certs of ID, Garda Vetting  etc… and will continue to do so for as long as we can. Please contact info@sailing.ie  with any queries.

CLUBS & CENTRES

Affiliation and Recognition Fees – Irish Sailing are looking at options for 2020 affiliation and accreditation fees.

Support Resources- See link HERE for further information and supports available to clubs and centres - www.sailing.ie/Coronavirus#1423

Harry Hermon
Chief Executive
26 March 2020

@ 26/03/2020

TRAINING

In order to try and minimise the impact of these restrictions and allow for activities to return to some kind of normal as soon as possible when the situation allows Irish Sailing will be putting the following arrangements in place to ensure the availability of Instructors, Advanced Instructors and Senior Instructors. The exact requirements for some of these arrangement are still being finalised and will be published as Training Notices through our usual communications channels.

Postponed / Cancelled Instructor Courses

Irish Sailing will maintain a record of all currently scheduled instructor courses. Once there is greater clarity around a timescale for the resumption of activity Irish Sailing will work with the respective Instructor Trainer groups to re-schedule course as efficiently as possible. Priority will be given to previously scheduled courses which were postponed along with Advanced Sailing Instructor and Senior Instructor courses.

Instructor CPD / Revalidation

As it is unlikely to be possible to schedule CPD / Revalidation days ahead of the main sailing season Instructors due to revalidate their qualification during 2020 will be given an extension to the validity of their current qualification to allow them to instruct this summer.

Instructors who have previously held qualifications at any level which have lapsed prior to 2020 will be able to apply on a case by case basis to have their qualification revalidated to cover the 2020 season.

Emergency Care certification requirements

Due to the restricted availability of emergency care training courses the requirement to hold an emergency care certificate for certification of Irish Sailing Instructors will be suspended for newly qualifying instructors. Instructors qualifying under these conditions will have a time limited validity applied to their certification and an emergency care certificate will be required to extend this validity.

Currently qualified instructors with emergency care certificates which lapse this year will be permitted to continue instructing until they are in a position to revalidate their qualification.

With these arrangements in place it is important to emphasise that there must be someone with a valid emergency care certificate onsite, identified and available at all times when activities are taking place.

Safeguarding Courses during Restrictions from 26 Mar

Irish Sailing in consultation with Sport Ireland Ethics Unit are implementing the following solution during the current restrictions as there is a backlog of people looking to attend safeguarding workshop. This interim solution shall stay in place until the sector is in a position to resume normal operations and people can attend the rescheduled Safeguarding 1 face to face workshops.

The following steps must be taken:

1. Complete the free online Tusla’s Children First eLearning programme https://www.tusla.ie/children-first/children-first-e-learning-programme/
2. Complete the free online Sport Ireland’s Safeguarding 1 online refresher https://www.sportireland.ie/ethics/safeguarding-1-online-refresher
3. Email a copy of both these online certificates to Nuala at training@sailing.ie with your name, address and date of birth.
4. Your Certificate will be valid for the coming season and you must attend a safeguarding 1 face to face workshop within 6 months of the resumption of activities in the sector, or as soon as possible.

If you have any queries in relation to any of the above or any other matter please do not hesitate to contact training@sailing.ie or ciaran.murphy@sailing.ie

Senior Instructor Briefings

The annual Senior Instructor briefings  will take place in late May / early June ahead of the core Club summer training courses commencing. These will focus on managing courses with regard to the arrangements which have been made for newly qualifying instructors and instructors unable to revalidate. The Senior Instructor briefings will be a requirement for any Senior Instructors requiring re-validation or returning with a lapsed qualification. If the continued development of the situation indicates that it will not be possible to hold these in person ahead of courses resuming they will be held online.

Training Centre Inspections

The normal programme of Training Centre inspections will be suspended for the 2020 season. Inspections will be replaced by support visits from Irish Sailing personnel to see if there are any specific requirements the Training Centre has and help ensure that the return to normal activity is carried out safely. Training Centres are still required to complete the Safety Declaration covering all of the normal operating procedures and insurance requirements.

Guidance Document

Irish Sailing will be producing a guidance document outlining the arrangements which have been put in place to manage the impact of the current restrictions. It will also outline the kind of adjustments to procedures which may need to be put in place to manage these arrangements while ensuring the safety of operations.

Online resources

Irish Sailing will look at what kind of online resources can be made available to Instructors and Training Centres to assist in preparing for the sailing season during this period of suspended activity.

The restrictions imposed by the measure to minimise the spread of the COVID-19 virus have had a very direct impact on instructor training at all levels particularly as this is typically the peak time of year for instructors training and up-skilling across all our disciplines.

Sail and motor cruising courses;

The following variations to the standard Irish Sailings requirements will be permitted during the 2020 season to allow cruising schools to restart the season as soon as the situation permits.

Centres delivering courses under the cruising scheme up to Day Skipper practical (Sail or Motor), may day-sail from their home port and relax the requirement to live aboard. Exam preparation courses, where possible, may be delivered without living on board.

Training Centres may, if they are satisfied that the syllabi can be sufficiently covered, combine courses at different levels to make a viable course. In doing so the specific requirements of the individual students on board must be taken into account. In some cases it may also be prudent to reduce student numbers to provide sufficient instructional time and/or space onboard.

26 March 2020

The Federation of Irish Sport share valuable information and resources to help you.

Dept of Business, Enterprise and Innovation

• The government has announced a National COVID-19 Income Support Scheme. This will provide financial support to Irish workers and businesses affected by the crisis.
• If you have concerns about your ability to pay your tax liabilities speak to the Revenue Commissioners, who have advised: "On an on-going basis, Revenue engages with viable businesses experiencing temporary cash flow or trading difficulties that affect the timely payment of tax. Revenue works very successfully with businesses that engage early to resolve their tax payment difficulties. Revenue will engage with any viable business thatexperiences temporary cashflow difficulties, including difficulties arising from exceptional circumstances such as the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak.”

https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/Government-supports-to-COVID-19-impacted-businesses.html

Dept of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

• A number of income supports are available from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for your employees during a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) related absence or temporary lay-off from work:
  - Employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to a downturn in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
  - Workers who are not diagnosed with COVID-19 but who self-isolate
  - Workers whose employers do not supplement/top-up the State Illness Benefit payment (COVID-19)
  - Workers who are requested to stay at home by their employer (COVID-19)
  - Workers who are laid off temporarily or put on to short time working (COVID-19)]
  - Workers who need to take time off work to care for a person affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/4cf0e2-covid-19-coronavirus-information-for-employers-and-employees-test/
 

Dept of Finance

• Extensive supports for SME customers – banks are working to ensure a wide range of credit, cash flow and supply chain supports are offered to businesses who are trying to manage the pressures arising from COVID-19. A deferral of up to 3-months on loan repayments will be of assistance to many businesses
• If you need to place your employees on a shorter working week or have had to cut their hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your employees can apply for Short Time Work Support.

https://www.gov.ie/en/news/878d4d-wednesdminister-donohoe-outlines-further-measures-to-support-individ/

Department of Health

• You should stay at home as much as possible.
• The digital partner pack continues to be updated and can be downloaded online at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/partner-resources/

https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/c36c85-covid-19-coronavirus/

Department of Tourism Transport and Sport

• WHO has declared CoVid-19 as a pandemic and all sport has been suspended.
• Government enforces restrictions on groups of 4 people

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/df4112-coronavirus-facts-symptoms-and-prevention/

Department of Rural and Community Development plan can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/70be56-government-action-plan-for-community-response-to-covid-19/

Sports Capital Funding

• As resources are diverted in response to the challenge posed to the nation by COVID-19 the level of service provided may be affected.

https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d13385-sports-capital-programme/
 

FAQ’s for Employers and Employees in relation to Home-Working on a temporary basis (COVID-19)
https://www.hsa.ie/eng/news_events_media/news/news_and_articles/faq%E2%80%99s_for_employers_and_employees_in_relation_to_home-working_on_a_temporary_basis_covid-19_.html

Insurance
As members of the Alliance for Insurance we recommend you follow their work in relation to insurance matters impacted by COVID-19. You will find updates on their work at https://insurancereform.ie/ or on twitter @InsuranceRefIre

CRO
https://www.cro.ie/About-CRO/Latest-News/ArtMID/1567/ArticleID/1407/Update-Regarding-Filing-of-Annual-Returns

Key Updates
Here are some important additions, resources and updates for you:
www.merrionstreet.ie –  The Government has announced a National Covid-19 Income Support Scheme to provide financial support to Irish workers and companies and effected by the crisis. Other measures relevant to all citizens (including sporting events) are announced there.

www.hse.ie – More than 60,000 applications were made to the HSE’s recruitment drive for staff to join the fight against Covid-19. This may be a useful message to spread to the sporting community to encourage the passing on of that information to medical practitioners within its ranks.
 
www.health.gov.ie – The Department of Health information in relation to Covid-19 can be accessed through their website.
 
www.dbei.gov.ie – Information on measures including Microfinance Ireland Covid-19 Loan could be relevant to NGBs and clubs.
 
www.who.int – Up to date international Covid-19 information can be sourced from the World Health Organisation website.

www.garda.ie – The news section has links to the HSE guidelines and information on social distancing.

Resources

• There is now a video on social distancing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0-uuijhF4Q
• Translated resources in 10 languages can be found at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/partner-resources/covid-19-translated-resources/
• The HSE is currently utilising TV, radio and other forms of advertising for public health information on Coronavirus.

Social distancing graphics for premises floors can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/472f64-covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-and-advice/#social-distancing-graphics