With the advent of Level 2 restrictions, do we start meeting physically or keep up our current practices e.g. holding meetings via Zoom? The decision is something that each club President and their team will need to make for themselves as we are all different in our makeup and the locations where we meet give us all different challenges.
 
The following is designed to give guidance to Club Presidents and their teams. This is not an exhaustive list of does and don’t so should be augmented to meet an individual club’s situation.
 
Requirements before organising any physical get-togethers
• Undertake a risk assessment of the threats and put written plans in place to manage these risks (an example template is below)
• Advise all attendees what new systems are in place and why
• Attendance should require prior notification, not be apology.
 
Golden rules for Clubs at Alert Level 2
Do everything you can to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission — we all have a part to play in keeping each other safe.
COVID-19 is still out there. Play it safe.
•All Clubs can operate if they can do so safely.
•Talk with your members to identify risks and ways to manage them.
•Ask anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms to stay away from Club meetings.
•Any “at risk” members should be encouraged to make their own determination of attendance.
•Keep members at least 1 metre apart.
•Keep contact tracing records of everyone attending meetings, consider not having physical guest speakers or member’s guest at meetings
•Reduce the number of shared surfaces, and regularly disinfect them.
•Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
•Provide hand sanitiser stations at entrance.
 
Club Meal requirements
Food and drink are permitted provided the venue can meet the physical distancing and hygiene requirements for food preparation and serving. This includes groups of no more than 10 people eating together, food served as individual portions and not from a buffet.
•All members must be seated
•No buffets
•keep table groups separated by at least 1 metre
•single server per group
•Drinks should be brought to the table – rather than going to a bar.
•Use cashless payment systems. (members Rotary Club accounts can be used to pay for meals and drinks with settlement if required at a later stage)
•keep records of all attendees to enable contact tracing
•not have more than 100 people in total — this excludes staff.
 
Projects
Projects can be undertaken provided the Covid-19 Level 2 restrictions can be observed these include
•keeping contact tracing registers
•keeping people 1 metre apart (2 metres outside), including while they are waiting
•practice good hygiene practices
•disinfecting surfaces in between customers.
 
General Risk Assessment
 
Use this form to document your thinking about how you and your club will keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an evolving situation – review your plan regularly and make changes as required.
 
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU WILL DO AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
  • How will you manage the risks of restarting Club meetings at Alert Level 2?
    Consider: Changed rosters, hygiene requirements (surfaces, separation, toilet), ventilation systems.
  • How will you ensure all Club members are able to keep themselves safe from exposure to COVID-19?
    Consider: Providing guidance, discuss distancing and hygiene, regular review.
  • How will you gather information on your members wellness to ensure they are safe and able to attend?
    Consider: Regular checks on members’ health, contact tracing information. Example: Ask basic questions about their members physical and mental health.
  • How will you run your club in a way that keeps members and other people safe from exposure to COVID-19?
    Consider: ensuring separation distances, disinfecting surfaces, physical separation, transport.
  • How will you manage an exposure or suspected exposure to COVID-19?
    Consider: Isolation procedures, including proactive isolation, gathering and using members contact tracing information, clean down procedures, contacting Healthline.
  • How will you check to see if your processes and risk controls are effective?
    Consider: Adapting plans as you find better/easier ways to do things, how to ensure members are raising concerns or solutions, conducting regular reviews of your plan, communicating changes.
  • How do any changes impact on risk?
    Consider: With members, review existing critical risks and whether any changes will affect current risk management

Originally published by District 9930 and reproduced with their permission at the request of DG9920 Gary Langford