ALERT LEVEL 4 – Current Situation

Tennis South Canterbury’s position on the COVID-19 outbreak situation continues to reflect the positions advocated by the Ministry of Health, Sport NZ and Tennis NZ – stay at home and in your bubble!

Update: 6 April, 2020

• All tennis, tennis programmes, competitions and coaching to be cancelled – including private coaching – until further notice.
• The Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre is closed until further notice.
• Tennis NZ recommends that all Clubs are closed.
• Tennis NZ recommends that all Club play is cancelled – including coaching.

These restrictions and recommendations are to remain in place until further notice.

ADVICE FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY CLUBS

The current Level 4 Alert status should mean that all local Tennis clubs have closed their gates. NO-ONE should be playing on your courts
There have been some suggestions that playing within your own “bubble” is allowed, however this is not consistent with what the lockdown is attempting to achieve. The virus could be transmitted by touching gates, nets, seating and any other common items at tennis clubs. Therefore, the lockdown will be most effective if Club facilities are NOT used.

By all means, nominate a person (who can easily walk to the Club) to check on the safety and security of your facilities and regularly check in with other members, just to make sure everyone is doing OK under the current circumstances.

What does all this mean for our players in South Canterbury?

• Sadly, NO tennis at the moment in South Canterbury
• Tennis NZ have advised that no results will be counted/recorded in Match Hub (past 20 March, 2020) and there will be no monthly rankings updates until further notice
• Our Junior Interclub has been completed with the exception of the C Grade final – which will be played at a later date TBC (prior to the new season commencement)
• Open Interclub – we will provide an update to Clubs once a decision around this competition is finalised – however we will be reviewing the points table to assist us with decision making.
• All other competitions/tournaments have been cancelled and refunds being processed.
• We are working to have plans, programmes and events in place ready for when “tennis is open” again in what we hope is the not too distant future and will communicate event information as and when we are able!

When can facilities open again, coaching resume & players get back on court?
Work is currently occurring in relation to the development of a de-escalation strategy/ This is being undertaken by Tennis NZ, in collaboration with regional tennis organisations. This will provide recommendations as to what should be permitted as New Zealand moves back down the Alert Levels. It is anticipated this information will be available to circulate within the next couple of weeks or so – depending on how the Covid-19 situation continues to develop.

Tennis NZ National Club Conference – CANCELLED

Prior to the lockdown, we had circulated information to all Clubs about that the Tennis NZ National Club Conference – and we were aware of people who were keen to attend.

Tennis NZ has made the decision to cancel the national conference series in its current form due to the Covid-19 situation. Alternative possibilities are being investigated and will be communicated in due course.

Good Information Sources

Tennis NZ Covid-19 website page for up to date notifications: https://tennis.kiwi/covid-19/tennis-nz-updates

Further public information is available on the NZ COVID-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz

Tennis South Canterbury will be continuing to monitor the situation and updating our own Facebook page and TSC website as any new developments come to hand.

As we have previously stated, Tennis South Canterbury will continue to err on the side of caution in these uncertain and worrying times, and we have chosen to prioritise the health of our players, supporters, volunteers and the wider tennis community.

If you have any questions or queries about the information above, or just want to reach out and say hi – please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!In the meantime, take care of yourself, your loved ones and stay safe!

From the team at Tennis South Canterbury