COVID-19 and the Hill Run

Latest update on Govt Regulations : Australia

Latest update on Govt Regulations : NSW

Details for all virtual races

1. Run the set course at any suitable time during the week (Please do not all turn up to the Hill on Saturday pm!!)
2. Submit your net time by Sunday 9pm by email to neil@griffithferals.org.au or on the Facebook page.
3. The normal handicap will be applied at our end
4. Results will be calculated
5. WardleWaddle and Competition points will apply
6. Handicaps will be adjusted for the following week

Q&A’s for Virtual Races

 Q : Do I have to run the course on the Hill?

A : We would prefer this.  However, if it is not suitable or practical then you may run your own course.  Note, that it should be the same distance, and note that handicaps will be adjusted for the following weeks

Q : Do we have to run on Saturdays?

A : Do not all turn up on Saturday afternoon.  If this occurs, we may be forced to completely cancel.

Q : Can I run several times and submit my best?

A : Of course, but only send one entry.

Q : How will I know my handicap?

A : You will only know your handicap when it shows up on the results.

Q : How do I enter?

A : You enter by sending us your result, as in point 2 above.

Q : Can I send my Strava (or whatever) app as my proof of time?

A : Sure can.

Q : Will there still be a trophy for the competition winner?

A : Yes, the normal WardleWaddle and pointscores and trophies apply.

_{(Psst! Just between you and me, if no one else enters that's an easy trophy!)}

Q : How do I know the course?

A : The courses are all on the website under “Feral Maps”.  Find the competition course => Winter.  Look at it, print it off, take it with you.  The courses also remain signposted on the Hill.  Without someone to run with you will have to slow down and look carefully.

Q : Are you sure this is legal?

A : According to the regulations below, yes it is.  We will continue to monitor any changes.  Note, it is not legal to run in a group.

Q : Will it be safe for juniors to run on their own?

A : Safety of juniors will be entirely at parental responsibility.  Chaperone them around if you wish.

Q : Will there be mats?  Will you be there to supervise?

A : No and No.  There will be no mats, no timekeepers, no helpers, no noticeboard, no committee in attendance, no one to pick you up if you fall.

Q : I might get lost.  Can I run with a friend?

A : You must abide by all Govt regulations on social distancing.  If you do not, then you are open to prosecution, and we will disqualify you from participating, and the club will look bad.  Please cooperate.

Q : How long will this go on for?

A : How long is a piece of string?

A : It depends on how soon we get tired of the clerical work, but we will say we have a strong commitment to the Joggers and believe it to be a unique club offering healthy and fun exercise.

A : It depends on how well you cooperate.

Q : A friend wants to join.  How is this possible?

A : New members check out how to join here on the membership page, it's easy.

Q : I've got another question.

A : Ask away!

Previous Q&A

_{The committee decided on a set of four levels of organisation of the Hill Run depending on how things pan out.  Before the ink went dry it was already clear that Levels 1 & 2 were gone.  Only Level 3 (minimal organisation) and Level 4 (cancellation) are left.}

_{Q: What are these levels?}

_{A: Sparing the details, Level 1 is business as usual with precautions, Level 2 is a normal(ish) Hill Run with timing mats but with your choice of start time spread over a couple of hours so there will be minimal mingling, Level 3 is self timing without supervision and you submit your time to us, Level 4 is cancellation of the runs (no times, no results, no nothing)}

_{Q: Isn’t it too soon to make the call to cancel the run?}

_{A: With things changing so rapidly we don’t want to give our members false hope by announcing new plans for the run and then turnaround possibly 24 hours later and change these. We are better off cancelling and then re-assessing before next week.}

_{Q: Can’t we just be stricter on social distancing so the run can go ahead?}

_{A: Organised outdoor physical events are currently restricted to 10 runners. We are very likely to have far more than 10 runners on the hill. Social distancing, whilst endorsed by us, is still not going to allow us to have the run.}

_{A: Besides, the Joggers are a pretty unruly mob ... easier to herd cats!}

_{Q: Can I turn up and run at 5:30pm this Saturday anyway?}

_{A: You can but at your own risk. If more than 10 Ferals turn up at the hill then you are at risk of being fined for not observing government regulations.  Please do not do this!}

_{Q: Can I run the current course at some other time and let you know my time? I don’t want to miss out on WW points!}

_{A: You can run the course but it won’t count towards any results or WW points. This is a possibility in the future depending on governments laws. This weekend’s hill run is cancelled so running the course at some other time is not going be recognised as a result.}

_{Q: What happens to the current competition?}

_{A: The current pointscore will apply.  There will be no points this weekend.  The following weekend (the final) may count if the committee decides that Level 3 can be safely operated (to be decided).  Otherwise, the current leaders are the winners!  There's a lesson ... run hard early!}

Q: What are the relevant Govt guidelines?

Scott Morrison and the chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, have laid out a three-step plan to reopen Australia after the coronavirus crisis. Morrison said he hoped step three could be achieved in July, but it would be up to each state and territory when they moved from one step to the next.

Step One
Step one will see us connecting with more friends and family, and see businesses, educational campuses and sporting facilities start to reopen.
Restrictions on gatherings will be relaxed, allowing for:
Non-work gatherings of up to 10 people in public
Up to five visitors to your home
Up to 10 guests at a wedding, in addition to the couple and the celebrant
Up to 20 mourners allowed at a funeral if indoors, and 30 if outdoors
Religious gatherings with up to 10 attendees
Employees should continue to work from home if it is suitable for them and their employer, though all businesses should develop a Covid-safe plan to prepare for staff returning to the workplace.
Step one will see a number of businesses reopen their doors.
Retail stores will reopen, and auctions and open homes proceed with up to 10 people. Cafes and restaurants will be allowed to seat 10 patrons at a time, as long as they follow the four square metres per person rule. Hairdressers and barber shops can also open, but must record customers’ contact details, presumably enable contact tracing if necessary.
Food courts will stay closed for any seated patrons. Also to remain closed: gyms, indoor movie theatres, stadiums, galleries, museums, zoos, pubs, clubs, gaming venues, strip clubs and brothels, as well as beauty therapy and massage therapy venues, saunas and tattoo parlours.
Step one will also see children back in classrooms and in playgrounds in their communities, and universities and technical colleges increasing face-to-face teaching where possible.
Some sporting facilities will be made available once again. Indoor gyms will stay closed, but up to 10 people at a time will be able to:
Use community centres, outdoor gyms, playgrounds, and skate parks
Take part in outdoor organised sport, like golf and boot camps.
While interstate borders will most likely remain closed to tourists, intrastate travel to regional areas for recreation should start back up. Hostels and hotels will be open for accommodation, but caravan parks and camping grounds could remain closed to tourists in some states and territories.
Queensland has announced it will move to stage 1 on 15 May, and Tasmania will do so on 18 May, subject to public health advice. Other states have yet to specify the date.

Step two
Step two looks very similar to step one, just with double the number of people allowed to gather in most circumstances.
Larger non-work gatherings of up to 20 people will start to take place. There is no mention as to whether the number of visitors to your home will also go up, but states and territories may increase gathering sizes at their discretion.
Auctions, open homes, cafes, and restaurants will continue to operate, this time with up to 20 people. Weddings and religious gatherings may have up to 20 attendees, and funerals up to 50 mourners.
Beauty therapy and massage therapy venues, and tattoo parlours will be allowed to open up to 20 clients at time, as long as they record all contact details, and up to 20 people will be allowed to take part in all outdoor sports.
Pools will open, with restrictions. Cinemas, galleries, stadiums, and zoos will be allowed to have up to 20 patrons, but pubs, clubs, casinos and night clubs will have to remain closed.
In terms of travel, caravan and camping grounds can fully open. There is no promise that recreational interstate travel will resume, but the framework suggests this may be considered by each state and territory depending on their individual situations.

Step three
Step three would “become clearer as we move through the first two steps”.
But, as it stands, step three could see life returning somewhat to normal, with non-work gatherings of up to 100 people allowed, and even larger considered.
Restaurants, cafes, foodcourts, auctions and open houses, movie theatres and other entertainment facilities, weddings and funerals will all be allowed to host up to 100 people. However, the framework does stipulate that cafes, restaurants, and foodcourts must still follow the rule of four square metres per person indoors.
Pubs, clubs, and possibly gaming venues will be allowed to reopen. By this point in time, Morrison also said he hopes “most workers … will be back in the workplace.”
The biggest changes could be in terms of travel, though. The framework says interstate travel should resume, but Morrison stressed that this will be up to the states and territories. The government will also consider cross-Tasman, Pacific Island and international student travel.

NSW:

Sport, pools and outdoor activities

Maintain physical distancing of 1.5 metres between people. 

Activities permitted

• Public gatherings of up to 10 people.
• Use of outdoor equipment in public places, with caution.
• Swimming in outdoor pools where there are no more than 10 people allowed in the pool.
• Recreational activities such as fishing and hunting.
• Boating in non-commercial recreational vessels is permitted under public health order conditions including that:
• all people on the vessel are members of the same household and/or
• any people on the vessel who are not members of the same household should practise physical distancing where practicable.
• Lawn bowling is allowed providing public health order conditions are met including that:
• there are only 10 people on a bowling green at any one time (excluding staff and game officials)
• physical distancing is maintained
• the licensee records the name and phone number of each player and records are kept for 4 weeks.

Activities not permitted

• Indoor sporting events.
• Local sporting competitions involving more than 10 people.

Venues that are closed

• Indoor public swimming pools are closed except for squad training in swimming pools with a length of at least 25 metres, in line with set requirements under public health order conditions. 
• Indoor recreation facilities (for example, squash courts, gyms, table tennis centres, health studios, bowling alleys and ice rinks).