COVID-19
COVID Restrictions at the Castle Hill Senior Citizens Club (week commencing 28/2/2022)
Following the relaxation of COVID restrictions by the NSW Government on 25th February 2022 the management committee discussed the changes in rules, masks in the club, vaccination, physical distancing in the club and whether the double tables can be split up again, chair spacing etc.
The management committee decided that from 28th February 2022 until further notice all members and visitors who attend the club:
must be fully vaccinated,
should wear a mask if they cannot maintain suitable physical distancing. Wearing a mask is not mandatory but is encouraged,
should refrain from moving furniture which has been placed to encourage physical distancing and if furniture is moved it must be replaced in its original position at the end of the activity,
should be aware of the club's COVID safe plan (see below and at the club) which includes common sense rules such as not attending the club if you have any symptoms of illness.
As all of our activities are run by dedicated volunteers the club also has to be mindful of the concerns of our volunteer activity coordinators who might otherwise wish to limit their social activities if case numbers rise within the community.
See you at the club,
Peter Ivanov
President
Restrictions in force when the Club is open
When the club is open, all restrictions mandated by the NSW Health Department will apply in addition to our COVID-19 Plan below:
Any member with any symptom of illness (fever, cough, sore/scratchy throat, shortness of breath, loss of smell, loss of taste, runny nose, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting or loss of appetite) CANNOT attend the club and should seek testing for COVID-19 at one of the clinics listed HERE.
At the beginning of each day frequently used indoor hard surface areas must be cleaned, first with detergent and water and then disinfectant. Particular attention must be given to cleaning frequently touched areas and surfaces (eg Bowls and Rummikub tiles). Detailed cleaning procedures for activity equipment will be provided to activity coordinators. People involved in cleaning or reorganising furniture may wear gloves when cleaning and should wash hands thoroughly before and after with soap and water.
All members must wash or sanitise their hands immediately when entering the Club.
Hand sanitiser is available at the Club entrance and throughout the Club. Sanitiser must be used before and after each game of bowls, Rummikub, cards or other activity.
Physical distancing must be observed inside the Club. Chairs have been placed throughout the Club at an appropriate distance and these chairs must not be moved (Click HERE to see what this looks like). People who live in the same household are not required to distance.
A record must be kept of the names of all members who attend the Club, and for any visitors their name and a (mobile) phone number and/or email address must be recorded. Entry and exit times for members and visitors should also be recorded.
Members are encouraged to bring their own refreshments. If the kitchen is used one person should be allocated to serve food and they should practice hand hygiene before and after service. Refreshments may be collected at the normal serving area and dirty dishes etc should be returned via the servery in the Rummikub room.
Cutlery and tableware must be washed in the dishwasher on long cycle at the end of the day.
No more than 20 members plus activity coordinators and any assistants are allowed to participate in any activity at any one time.
It is obvious that there will be extra work involved for our activity coordinators, particularly cleaning, and I would like to ask for volunteers to come to the Club 30 minutes earlier than they would normally to assist activity coordinators. I am sure you all would like to help keep our Club up and running.
These restrictions are a requirement for attending the Club and reflect current advice but as we all know things change so make sure you monitor the Club website https://www.castlehillseniors.org.au/ (or call the Club phone number 02 9680 3958 and listen to the voice-mail message) to stay up to date.
Ongoing advice to all members
The NSW Department of Health advises that in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 you should:
wash your hands often with soap and water. This includes before and after eating and after going to the toilet
use alcohol-based hand sanitisers when you can’t use soap and water
avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
clean and disinfect surfaces you use often such as benchtops, desks and doorknobs
clean and disinfect objects you use often such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and work passes
use tap and go instead of cash where possible
increase the amount of fresh air by opening windows or changing air conditioning