The Club Cricket Conference Yearbook 2020

We must remember that the majority of us (80%) will have mild or no symptoms and will make a full recovery; however those who get the severe form can get pneumonia resulting in complications including death. It is important to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds regularly (especially if you’ve been outside) as that will kill off the virus. Do not shake hands. When you are outside you must keep a 2 metre distance from those around you who are not living with you. As of the 1st of June we are (in England) allowed to have up to six people in the garden or outside but we must continue to maintain social distancing by keeping 2 metres apart. Face masks have some benefit mainly by protecting others from you but face masks and PPE are very important for carers and they should wear an apron, gloves and face mask. Gloves are of limited use unless you work in a clinical setting and hand hygiene is more important. Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms must now apply for a test. If it is positive continue to self-isolate and make people aware who may have had contact with you in the last few days as they need to get tested and potentially self-isolate. We need particularly to protect those who are vulnerable such as those with medical conditions like asthma, COPD, heart problems and diabetes. Those with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and those with blood cancers and very severe lung conditions were previously advised to practice shielding which is where you should not leave the house for 12 weeks (for full list of conditions that needed to shield see the NHS website). However as of the 1st June these patients have been told they can leave the house. I would however exercise a lot of caution as the number of new cases a day are still high and these patients are very vulnerable. If you develop symptoms then don’t worry, self-isolate, rest and drink plenty of fluids. Paracetamol can be taken for pain or fever (Ibuprofen is currently discouraged for COVID 19 symptoms). If you develop any symptoms which you may not normally experience with a viral infection such as shortness of breath, persistent fever, chest tightness or severe fatigue you must call your GP or 111 if it is out of hours. Please do not buy any medicines online to treat Covid 19 because there is no known cure yet and medication brought online can have serious side effects. Covid 19 has had a huge impact on sport but things are slowly beginning to restart. At present it would not be feasible to have people at stadiums as it will be impossible to practise social distancing; however if a system can be arranged whereby everyone is sat 2 metres apart then I can’t see why sports stadiums have to be completely empty in the coming months. In terms of direct impact on cricket, the ICC have said players are no longer allowed to put spit on the ball. It is an interim measure until the pandemic is over and completely makes sense as saliva is one of the main ways Covid 19 infects people but old habits do die-hard of course so let’s be forgiving and not panic if players do forget, in those circumstance they may want to use some hand sanitiser, which the umpires may want to carry. I hope you all stay safe and let’s hope for a quick end to this pandemic so we can get back to playing and watching some cricket! Dr. Samara Afzal - 35 -