Date posted: Friday 20th March 2020

Dear Members,

As our Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan reports an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 that are now in our community, it is inevitable that we are likely to see some cases within our own circles shortly.  Following a meeting with the Covid-19 Action Group it has been agreed  that the Club  will not be issuing any correspondence in relation to any individual cases in our own club as they may arise, but rest assured it will be our top priority to treat every case sensitively,  alleviate any concerns our members may have and also assist the HSE in any way that we can with contact tracing so that members (who need to be) are kept fully informed. 

With that in mind and to assist us with that process it is imperative that you are mindful of the following; 

1.       Should a member who has visited the club in the 14 days prior to their diagnosis, test positive; we would ask that they telephone the office and inform Niall Keyes our General Manager (GM).  All such calls will be treated in the strictest of confidence.   This is to assist the HSE in contact tracing so that other members who may have been in close contact* with a confirmed case can be informed promptly if that is a requirement.

2.       If you wish to play golf at any time of the day or evening (no matter how quiet the timesheet might be) you must enter your name on the BRS timesheet so that a record can be kept of your visit. 

3.       When booking a line for yourself and other members do not enter ‘guest’ for the additional players.  You must enter every member’s name on the line.

4.       Guests can play but only with a member. The green fee can be paid through the member’s competition purse.  Please phone the office with the name of your guest so a record can be kept, and the office will deduct the green fee from your account.  Negative balances on your purse are allowed and will be dealt with later.

Competitions

For the moment Sunday/Thursday Ladies’ and Saturday Men’s competitions will continue but are subject to constant review. 

The GUI and ILGU issued another joint statement yesterday, 19th March 2020;  ‘……. sport remains open and accessible.  Club membership has never been more important.  Golf club members can still play and enjoy their golf while acting within the guidelines issued by the HSE.  It is important that we all work together, following the advice of experts, in controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection'.

We want you to continue to enjoy your golf but please note the most recent update on the HSE guidelines to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus.   If you have been in close contact with a confirmed case or have travelled from abroad you may need to restrict your movements/self-quarantine .  If you are displaying symptoms of the coronavirus you may need to ‘self isolate’.

If you believe you have been in close contact* with someone who is displaying symptoms but has not yet been confirmed, we would ask you remain away from the club in the interest of all our members.     In exercising your judgement in relation to the level of contact you have had, please err on the side of caution until you receive either clearance or confirmation before returning.

Finally, we would ask you all in the coming days and months to respect the privacy of all our members and be mindful of sharing any information you might hear through other channels.    This virus knows no boundaries and our hope is that everyone of us will continue to remain safe and well.  We are all in this together.

Keep washing your hands!

Yours sincerely,

Covid-19 Sub-Committee

* The HSE guidelines describe ‘close contact’ as; ‘spending more than 15 minutes face-to-face contact within 2 metres of an infected person’.