We will maintain summaries of the coronavirus updates for the parts of the UK in which our affiliated clubs operate. Please note that different rules apply for different parts of the UK:
Please note that the following summaries are only our best understanding of the rules given by the government and by the devolved powers on any given day. The guidance and rules change on an almost daily basis and you absolutely should do your due diligence before taking any steps to reopen.
Updates for England
Updated 25th June 2020.
As of the 1st of June, HEMA clubs in England will be able to offer private tuition and small group tuition outdoors, in line with social distancing and hygiene guidelines. According to the government’s announcements:
Guidance for personal trainers and coaches on the phased return of sport and recreation in England
If you are a personal trainer/coach you can now work with clients outdoors, providing you are meeting no more than 5 other people from outside of your household, outdoors, and you are staying a minimum of 2 metres apart.
You can meet with different clients in a single day as long as it is in gatherings of no more than 6 and you are maintaining social distancing. You should not spend time with anyone not from your household indoors.
You should also enforce strong hygiene measures. This might be cleaning any equipment rigorously in line with wider guidance on hygiene, for example by using antiviral spray and washing hands thoroughly before and after use.
Relevant guidelines
Make sure your first aid qualifications (and any relevant child protection paperwork) are up to date.
Have contingency plans in place in case of rain, excessive sun, or adverse weather.
Find an outdoor location and make sure you get the landowner’s permission to practise there.
If you want to use public space (like a public park), then you will need the landowner’s permission (probably the city council) and you will also need to take additional care that you are not inconveniencing other members of the public, that you are not using training swords (unless you also have written permission from the council to do this), and that you have a plan for dealing with inquisitive members of the public in a safe fashion.
Perform a risk assessment on the outdoor area, including assessments for different weathers.
Maximum group size of 6 people (including instructor), everyone must remain at least 2 metres apart from each other, there should not be any sharing of equipment (unless you clean and disinfect rigorously before and after use), and there should be no physical contact between participants.
Insurance
If instructors have named instructor’s public liability insurance policies through the AHA and BMABA, such lessons will be covered by the insurance underwriters, as long as there is a risk assessment in place and you have the landowner’s written permission to practise there.
Travel
You may travel for any distance to participate in sport training within England – you may not cross a border to visit any of the devolved parts of the UK.
Forthcoming developments
Although there was an announcement on the 23rd of June that lockdown would ease further in England on the 4th of July, nothing will really change in terms of running HEMA clubs. (source)
As of the 4th of July, it will still be that only six people or two households (which could number more than six people together) can meet together outside for sport, and indoor sports are still not allowed yet. (source)
Updates for Scotland
Updated 25th June 2020.
The Scottish route out of lockdown has the following parts:
Lockdown -> phase 1 -> phase 2 -> phase 3 -> phase 4
As of the 19th of June, Scotland has moved out of phase 1 and into phase 2. (source) However, the country is “scaling up” into this phase, so not everything will be implemented or permissible at once. (source)
This means, at the time of writing:
- More outdoor activity permitted – such as being able to sit in the park, as long as physically distanced.
- Meeting up with another household outdoors, in small numbers (max 8), including in gardens, but with physical distancing required.
- Permitted to travel short distances for outdoor leisure and exercise but advice to stay within a short distance of your local community (broadly within 5 miles) and travel by walk, wheel and cycle where possible.
- Unrestricted outdoors exercise adhering to distancing measures.
- Non-contact, outdoor activities in your local areas e.g. golf, hiking, canoeing, outdoor swimming, angling.
- No public gatherings permitted except for meetings of two households, outdoors and with physical distancing.
Therefore, HEMA instructors in Scotland may offer private tuition to a single student (or up to 7 students from within your own and up to two other household), outdoors, according to social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
By Monday 29th June, some indoor non-office workplaces can reopen again, but this still excludes workplaces planned for reopening in phase 3. Outdoor sports courts will be able to reopen.
Relevant guidelines
Make sure your first aid qualifications (and any relevant child protection paperwork) are up to date.
Have contingency plans in place in case of rain, excessive sun, or adverse weather.
Find an outdoor location and make sure you get the landowner’s permission to practise there.
If you want to use public space (like a public park), then you will need the landowner’s permission (probably the city council) and you will also need to take additional care that you are not inconveniencing other members of the public, that you are not using training swords (unless you also have written permission from the council to do this), and that you have a plan for dealing with inquisitive members of the public in a safe fashion.
Perform a risk assessment on the outdoor area, including assessments for different weathers.
Maximum group size of 8 people (including the instructor, and coming from no more than your own household plus one other household), everyone must remain at least 2 metres apart from each other, there should not be any sharing of equipment (unless you clean and disinfect rigorously before and after use), and there should be no physical contact between participants.
Insurance
If instructors have named instructor’s public liability insurance policies through the AHA and BMABA, such lessons will be covered by the insurance underwriters, as long as there is a risk assessment in place and you have the landowner’s written permission to practise there.
Travel
No one should travel further than 5 miles to attend the training.
Forthcoming developments
Although Scotland is “scaling up” into phase 2, this does not really change anything with regard to HEMA clubs. Private tuition outdoors can still take place with people from no more than two households, but indoor training (or training in larger groups) cannot yet resume.
Indoor training is expected to be a phase 3 development when gyms and indoor sports venues can reopen.