EIS stresses the importance of continued preventative measures, including hygiene, social distancing and use of face masks.
At BF we are hearing about and seeing some really good COVID-19 aware fencing sessions. It is vitally important that as we move towards winter, as highlighted in the medical update below, we keep going with the good work being done.
The EIS update below highlights the serious impact that COVID-19 can have on the ability of athletes to return to training and stresses the need to reinforce the importance of frequent handwashing, remaining socially distanced where possible and the wearing of face masks.
We would like to take this opportunity to encourage clubs and coaches to continue taking the necessary measures to protect all participants in the sport, whether or not they fence in National teams.
Athletes with COVID-19 – Data from the PDMS system (the electronic record system used by the EIS) shows that approximately 10% of athletes with COVID-19 have still not effectively returned to training after 100 days, and 20% take in excess of 30 days. This may be a feature of athletes not following medical advice but they are more probably victims of the severity of infection in the training athlete. Many of these athletes have been thoroughly investigated by external specialists and the conclusion so far is that this is a post-viral fatigue state. It is important therefore to stress to athletes that prevention of COVID-19 both inside training facilities and in their domestic life, should be taken very seriously.
Winter is coming – With colder weather starting and academic institutions returning, people will be spending more time indoors in areas with poor ventilation, both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 infections will rise. The essentials of handwashing, 1+ metre socially distancing, training and then returning home as soon as possible need repeated reinforcement. Mask wearing is becoming more important as individuals who may be asymptomatic carriers (carrying the virus but are well) of COVID-19, this group is more prevalent in younger, fitter people. We encourage all athletes and staff to wear face masks when not training around shared facilities.
As always, we will continue to update our COVID-19 advice here.
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