Update following the First Minister’s Statement 19th February
Update following the First Minister’s Statement (19th February)
We are disappointed that the First Minister today was unable to relax the current ‘Stay at home’ regulations, which will now remain for a minimum of a further three weeks. We hope that golf and other outdoor sports will be able to return in some capacity following the next review on the 12th of March.
The First Minister made it clear that for the time being all exercise must still start and finish at home. The latest Welsh Government Statement and updated regulations can be found here.
At a meeting with Welsh Government officials earlier this week, we presented the APPGG COVID-19 Secure Golf Document which supports our long-held view that golf has been and can continue to be played safely during the current pandemic. Other key areas of discussion centred around the numerous mental health and wellbeing benefits golf provides to tens of thousands of participants across Wales.
Welsh Government agreed that golf is a sport that can be played in a safe, socially distanced manner. Their main concerns were with the potential Wales-wide impact of relaxing the ‘stay at home’ restrictions, and the cumulative impact of doing this.
This week has seen the launch of a new social media campaign encouraging all golfers to share their story with the #ShareYourStory. This aims to highlight how their current lockdown experiences and the effect of not having access to a golf facility is impacting their mental and physical wellbeing.