A new Information Sheet v10 has been issued to RCCE members to guide them on the reopening of village and community halls from 17th May, together with an updated Appendix D Table of Activities.
Important highlights are below but the Information Sheet has much more detail and should be shared amongst trustees and with the caretaker/cleaner.
The guidance explains the need to review your Covid Risk Assessment to re-open the halls again from 17th May and to calculate (if you haven’t already done so) the Covid capacity for the hall by measuring the area of the hall in square metres and dividing by 4 to arrive at the Covid capacity of the hall at 2m distancing.
Covid secure precautions are still required – handwashing, use of hand sanitiser, 2m distancing, face coverings (unless exempt), regular cleaning or wiping down of equipment and tables, and test and trace requirements. There is more emphasis on natural ventilation particularly when or if more active aerobic exercise is planned. Notices are still required at entrances.
If the hall has not been used for some time……ensure taps are run for approx. 5 minutes to flush the system and shower heads and taps are cleaned thoroughly.
Indoors from 17th May, 2m distancing should be maintained for individuals attending classes and groups, and the rule of 6 (this can be six individuals or 3 groups of 2 etc) or two households applies when socialising. Groups of 6 should be encouraged not to mix with other groups of 6.
Large gatherings are still discouraged and numbers attending events and classes should be limited to the Covid capacity of the hall.
SC4 revision: ‘SC4: You will make sure that everyone likely to attend your activity or event understands that they MUST NOT DO SO if they or anyone in their household has had COVID-19 symptoms in the last 48 hours; has tested positive for the virus; or is required to self-isolate for any other reason e.g., following certain travel abroad. If they develop symptoms within 10 days of visiting the premises, they MUST seek a COVID-19 test’.
Don’t forget to advise your insurance company the hall is re-opening!
Parish Council Meetings: meetings to be held in person from 7th May 2021.
As a result of the High Court Judgement on 28th April all councils will return to face-to-face meetings after May 6th, so many village and community halls will be required to be Covid-secure (with social distancing, hand sanitiser and relevant notices in place) for Parish Council meetings after that date. Meetings of other authorities or public bodies may also need to hire a larger, Covid-secure venue. As remote meetings of local authorities will no longer be lawful, this raises the risk of challenge that any decisions taken at a remote meeting after 6th May are not lawful.
