I’d like to thank everyone who has been keeping the week night dojo times ticking over for the previous few weeks. There is no way I could have made it in while on placement given the very early starts and longer days.
From Tuesday, we will broadly be back to regular programming. I will be creating another week-night Zoom link for folk out of town who would like to join in, especially for Tuesday night Iai. I will be very glad to be able to again concentrate on my own training alongside helping with our influx of new faces we have had for Kendo.
With an extended break away from conditioning work, I’m wanting to make sure that now I have more flexibility in my day that I again re-engage with the necessary aerobic foundation to recover from intense activity. With Kateena being our last Club member standing for Uni Games competition, I’ll be doing some work with her to make sure she hits the shiai-jo as fit as she can be. However, I’m open to making further opportunities for Club members to use my skills to improve their conditioning and strength too.
COVID is still rattling around as a major concern for Queensland. Toowoomba has been particularly fortunate to avoid even the mask mandate covering the rest of South East Queensland. However, we will have to remain vigilant as the situation remains dynamic. The current advice is that till the end of the week, SEQ local government areas still require people to wear masks when in public. For people who have been to SEQ in the past 14 days, the advice is that the must carry, but not compulsorily wear masks when outside the nominated zone, and at any rate you do not have to wear a mask if engaging in intense physical activity.
What this somewhat confusing list means is:
If you have been down the range in a rough triangle somewhere between Toowoomba, Noosa and Coolangatta in the past 2 weeks you must have a mask on you at all times
If you are in the above category, you are encouraged to wear the mask in public, but it is not mandatory
There is no legal barrier to you attending training, and while at training you don’t have to use a mask unless the class involves very low intensity activity. However, individual instructors will be making inclusion/exclusion decisions based on their own risk assessments and you are obliged to follow their advice regarding class participation.
You have an obligation to regularly check the QLD Health website for its list of COVID hotspots, and if you have been in an area that is listed for a casual or close contact, you must get tested for COVID and return a negative result before you return to training.
Each instructor is making their own decisions about training within the parameters of the above list. Michael C, for instance, is being particularly cautious as understandably he does not want to be “that guy” and either bring COVID into the hospital or from the hospital to the Club. He will continue to direct message folk in his class regarding whether it will run or not.
The situation will continue to be dynamic and may change for good or worse very quickly. We will continue to have our fingers crossed that the NSW outbreak is contained, and that we don’t end in a situation where lockdowns are necessary here in Toowoomba. Regardless, we will continue to put up-to-date info on the Club social media channels and group chat.
Stay safe everyone!