The ECB have been working closely with the UK Government to provide clarity in what the easing of lockdown restrictions mean for recreational cricket across England and have released the following message…
We know that our communities, players and volunteers will have missed the social, physical and health benefits of participating in our great game and believe we have an important role to play in supporting the nations recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, we also know that we have a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of our communities by ensuring compliance with both the latest Government guidance. The aim of the accompanying documents is to share with you the information we currently know about what the return to cricket at the end of March will look like, in order to help your planning. This is based on our ongoing conversations with the Government and key partners to date and information published on Gov.uk.
The ECB have produced the roadmap and accompanying documents in order to provide you with the headline information on what activities are permissible during each step of the Roadmap. The ECB will continue to update this document and the Somerset Cricket Board will continue to share those updates with you over the course of the season.
We will continue to update the relevant information as and when we receive more information on the latest position across England.
All of the documents can be found on the ECB website here and below.
Initial Questions…
- What are the likely travel restrictions early in the season?
In England, we are awaiting more information in the announcement due on or around 22nd March, however the Government message is clear to Stay at Home until the 29th March. Sport England have produced some advice on travel which can be found here
In Wales, the Welsh Government requirement is to stay local, usually within 5 miles, but more information can be found here - When is the full guidance expected to be released and why is the Welsh guidance already in circulation?
The UK Government have shared the roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions, the next update is expected on or around 22nd March, we will then review the implications and update our guidance accordingly, sharing more publicly as soon as we are comfortable in doing so.
As Wales has a devolved Government they have the responsibility to make decisions on the easing of lockdown restrictions in Wales. The Welsh Government is undertaking a review of the current Alert Level and restrictions on a three-weekly basis.
