Maintaining a safe facility that can be used by all members is a priority for the Edmonton Squash Club. We continue to work within health and safety guidelines set by Health Canada, Alberta Health, and municipal governments. The objective is to protect the health of our member community; we all have a part in this.
The City of Edmonton has again regulated the wearing of masks in public places. Effective Friday, Sept 3, 2021, wearing masks will be required on the club premises when entering and moving about between courts and locker areas. Masks are not required on-court, in the showers/steam room, or when seated in the restaurant area.
Required proof of vaccination is gaining momentum. Several members have asked for a policy regarding vaccination requirements to enter the club or to register for a program such as leagues, lessons, and clinics. We are following Squash Alberta’s lead as we develop fair policies for the sake of all members. We are encouraging all staff and coaches to be vaccinated as part of our commitment to the safety of all.
In the meantime, we are encouraging a social etiquette to voluntarily disclose your vaccination status when entering the court. Note that this is voluntary and intended to build a community of trust where individuals can make informed decisions related to playing or not.
Lastly, individuals should not enter the club if they are experiencing flu/cold symptoms. Our staff are authorized to request you to leave immediately if symptomatic individuals are identified. This is for the health safety of others, vaccinated or not.
Good Morning,
Do you have a timeline with respect to your decision regarding vaccination requirements? As I do not intend to receive the vaccination but am interested in membership.
Thanks
For general play and membership we are following health directives laid out by the province of Alberta, AHS, the city of Edmonton, and Squash Alberta, so at the present time there is no indication of vaccination requirements generally for club access. We strongly suggest that members who are playing each other have a discussion about their personal circumstances ahead of time and proceed according to their comfort level and risk profile. Symptomatic individuals are not permitted to access the club regardless of vaccination status and masking requirements are in effect outside of areas where there is exercise activity or food/drink being served.
An area of concern that is under active discussion is tournament & league play where it is more difficult to control who your opponent is ahead of time and therefore difficult to have these types of conversations with advance notice. There is a survey that is intended to go out within the next week to the membership to gather member sentiments and thoughts to help inform club policy.
For more a more nuanced discussion, please feel free to reach out to our head pro John de Vries at john@edmontonsquashclub.org.