Author Topic: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?  (Read 23144 times)

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #33 on: April 19, 2020, 04:11:53 pm »
That's interesting.  Which rinks are planning to re-open?  Where have you seen this announcement?

hermitdave

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #34 on: April 19, 2020, 04:17:24 pm »
Nothing certain yet. There's more information on traffic light opening of the country though we still are in peak.

Even if things start opening up, rinks won't be the first to open. Many skaters including my daughter have off-ice skating blades installed. Not the same but close enough. Few times a week, I take her to empty car park

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2020, 07:39:55 pm »
The only person I have heard talk about traffic light reopening is Iain Duncan Smith and he's a backbencher these days.  The UK govt has played its cards pretty close to its chest regarding an exit strategy.  They says it's because they don't want to distract from the current message, but I wonder if it's more because they are still making up plans.  Either way, the story in the papers about schools reopening (denied) is probably more indicative of what will be first.  Anything that enables economic activity to resume with relative safety will be prioritised - so primary schools (to enable parents to get back to work), shops, factories, construction.  They've said entertainment will be last - I think they mentioned pubs, cinemas etc but suspect sport and leisure will be close to last, along with mass gatherings.  You can distance people in a gym maybe, or in a pool with lanes, but harder in a rink.  I wouldn't hold your breath.
Great that people have been skating on wheels, and I see Lloyd Jones and his partner have posted some clips on YouTube.  I've been avoiding my local car park for fear of ending up a victim of the Thought Police/Junior Anti-fun league/Jobsworth security guard.  I love distancing, can't understand why things like golf without the 19th hole, tennis (singles), surfing, outdoor skating wouldn't be acceptable but I don't want to compromise my wonderful, always empty (closed) car park for the sake of waiting a few weeks longer.  Been doing my daily exercises at home plus some spinning/pirouettes on a disc of hard carpet that works wonders as a spinner on wooden floors.

Dougal

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #36 on: May 03, 2020, 04:03:16 pm »
What’s everyones thoughts on how the rinks could (if at all) reopen during this social distancing time? Plant ice are accepting bookings from August onwards and have announced they will be going cashless from July due to the current crisis. Looks like they’re considering their options.  ??? 

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #37 on: May 03, 2020, 04:11:30 pm »
Good question
I was wondering about that
I can see Skate UK lessons working, teachers keeping a distance, maybe wearing masks
I can see patch possibly working, again you have a limited number of people whose behaviour is easier to control, people are training mainly not socialising
Maybe dance and pair skating OK as they are always the same people together
Hockey seems more problematic - maybe training OK, matches/contact less so
Public sessions seem like a problem to me - even if you limit numbers, people go in groups, go to socialise and cannot control being 2m away from people
And you'd need to clean areas that people touch, like skates, barriers, doors, toilets etc.  Most rinks I go to are pretty bad at that
Not sure rinks are sustainable without public sessions, financially, and no-one would want to do Skate UK if they could not skate on a public session at some point in the future.  As a minimum you'd need hockey training, that brings in a lot of money.  But without matches, who would want to learn/train?
People may be asked to skate in masks - could be tricky.  Public sessions often quite unruly and unsupervised.
I can't see ice rinks being a govt priority
I expect to be skating on wheels mainly, in the future
Btw, I personally don't necessarily endorse any of the above considerations as necessary or valid, just an assessment of measures that are likely to be demanded by authorities and expected by public.

skatebrasil

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #38 on: May 06, 2020, 09:15:08 am »
Believe rinks will be open from 10Th August . Not sure how accurate this is as developments in the U.K seem to change every week.

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #39 on: May 06, 2020, 09:38:17 am »
Believe rinks will be open from 10Th August . Not sure how accurate this is as developments in the U.K seem to change every week.


Do you have a source for this information?  I think it is highly unlikely we'll see rinks open any time soon.  They are unlikely to be a government priority, and are economically unsustainable without levels of usage that will be incompatible with current thinking on the need to distance from one another.  Without a vaccine, or highly effective treatment, or evidence from studies that this virus is much less dangerous than initially thought, my prediction is that rinks will stay closed, as will many other similar venues.  But I hope I am wrong.

spinZZ

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #40 on: June 28, 2020, 12:19:30 pm »
I launched this thread in mid-March.  We're coming up to the end of June.  Thought I'd check in.  In the US, re-opening has been piece-meal.  No coordination on the national (federal) level.  Up to the governor of each state.  In many of the larger states, re-opening phases has further depended on specific counties or regions within the state.  In some states, rinks re-opened several weeks ago, with restrictions.  In my state, rinks are still closed, though there are rumblings (unconfirmed) that they may be allowed to re-open this coming week. 

How are things on your side of the pond? 

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #41 on: June 28, 2020, 02:26:24 pm »
As of 4th July outdoor skating rinks are able to open in the UK, subject to them doing a risk assessment - there are guidelines for various different categories of establishment that encourage distancing, increased cleaning and so on.  I am not 100% clear the extent to which any of them have force of law - I suspect they don't, but if you were found not to have done a risk assessment or not to be following guidance you may get closed down on health and safety grounds.


But outside of seasonal Christmas rinks, we don't have any outdoor ice rinks here, and I am not aware we have any outdoor roller rinks either.


So still skating on wheels only, outdoors.


Indoor sports and leisure facilities are all still closed here.  I think there's an aspiration for them to open at some point in July, perhaps middle or end, subject to the government's view of how the "fight" against the virus is going and probably more importantly developing the guidance they feel would be needed.


I've had emails from a couple of places and the expectation is that they would be pre-booked only sessions, more limited number, increased cleaning, one-way systems, toilets closed.


I don't have any more details than that.


Speaking personally, I find the kind of hoop-la people are having to go through to access retail very off-putting, so if rinks adopt those kind of measures I'll probably carry on skating on wheels, outdoors.


I doubt that any rink is financially viable with the kind of restrictions I imagine will be in place.  Socially distanced hockey sounds like a non-starter.

black

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #42 on: July 07, 2020, 01:03:42 pm »
I did a sweep of the websites for the UK rinks this morning.

Most are closed; of note:

https://planet-ice.co.uk/planet-ice-re-opening-update/
https://queens.london/skating

Has anybody been skating in the UK yet? (private booking?)

It all seems to have gotten super weird lately.
The greatest trick figure skaters ever pulled, was convincing the world it was easy.

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: Any UK Rink Closures Due to Corona Virus?
« Reply #43 on: July 07, 2020, 02:10:55 pm »
Not been skating indoors as I wouldn't have access to private booking, not being an elite athlete.


Planet Ice saying they will operate reduced capacity and allocate 3 square metres per person.  So if my arithmetic is correct that would be 600 people, for a 60x30 rink.  Doubt they mean that.  Or I have misread it: "In terms of public skating we are expecting to operate a reduced schedule based on a maximum capacity of 3m2 per person[/size][size=78%]"[/size]


Queens website suggests they are already open, which doesn't seem right.  They also insist on face covering while skating, so I won't be going there, or anywhere also that insists on face coverings.


I had a general email from Better, talking about booking in advance being mandatory, shorter sessions and limited numbers.  Limited numbers is a nice idea, but I can't see it is financially sustainable long term unless they increase prices.  Most rinks probably run at a loss or just about break even.


I will go back to public sessions or patch as long as I don't have to wear a mask, otherwise I will be skating outdoors on wheels.


Weird, yes indeed.



 

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