What you can do to help minimise the spread of coronavirus

TCA is doing everything it can to minimise the possible spread of coronavirus amongst climbers.

UPDATED 16/03/20, 7pm: All TCA centres will close from 7am on Tue 17 March until further notice.

Centre cleanliness

As recently discussed on UKC, TCA has increased guidance and protocols on hand-washing and personal hygiene for all staff from public-facing roles at reception to instructors and office staff. We have provided a mandate to staff to deliver more rigorous cleaning of shared facilities such as cafés and toilets – including the handling of used crockery and cutlery – as well as handles, push plates and iPads. We have taken extra steps to ensure that cleaning products are well stocked.

There are lots of reasonable things we would ask of all climbers attending our centres:

Think of others

We are asking all staff and customers to be vigilant and behave in a sensible manner. Even though you may be healthy and may well be fine if infected; we all have elderly or susceptible relatives and friends – which is why participation in risk minimising strategies is so important. TCA has a strong community of climbers and we are asking everyone to play their part.

Coronavirus – travel

If you, or a close family member have recently visited one of the places that have been affected by coronavirus, please avoid coming to TCA until it’s clear that you are virus-free. This includes international hotspots such as Italy or any local places that have been affected (such as Scotsoun sports campus in Glasgow). We ask our customers to stay abreast of news related to coronavirus, so that we can all work together to maximise containment and prevent further spread.

Personal hygiene for climbers

Thorough hand-washing before and after climbs is essential. Don’t touch your face. Avoid coughing or sneezing into hands, use your elbow if need be, bin tissues and re-wash hands. If you are particularly unwell avoid public spaces and follow official advice.

Feeling unwell?

Look out for symptoms (a cough, a high temperature, shortness of breath). Don’t panic if you have these, they are similar symptoms to the flu and many other bugs, but do check it out with medical professionals. Don’t go to your GP, visit the NHS 111 website for coronavirus and/or phone 111.

IF YOU ARE FEELING SICK, STAY AT HOME!

In the very unlikely event that you are diagnosed with coronavirus – and you have visited our centres recently – please let TCA know immediately.

Freezing membership

Pass-holders can freeze their passes at any time by visiting My TCA. If you are unwell, self-isolating or simply choosing not to come this is a good option for you to initiate right now.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY PASS IF TCA IS FORCED TO CLOSE? 

We are doing everything that we can to preserve TCA as a business. We know that our climbing centres mean a lot to you, as a place of exercise, a place to be with like-minded people, a place to challenge yourself and a place to grow. In the event of temporary closure, one thing we ask you to do is continue your membership. This will help our organisation stay afloat so that we can be around when the crisis is over. If we get to that stage, all membership passes will be automatically frozen and any auto-billing will stop. Passes will be re-activated as soon as we can re-open our doors.

Contactless payment

We ask as many customers as possible to pay using contactless methods rather than by cash. You can minimise the number of transactions made at reception, by adding money onto your TCA account. This is then debited over time as required and can be topped up. Many climbers prefer this so they don’t have to carry payment methods when climbing, but can still easily buy snacks.

If you have not yet added card payment to your mobile phone, simply google your phone manufacturer and follow the easy steps to allow contactless payment from your phone.

Good practice

While these measures are particularly important in light of current news, they are in fact perfectly sensible approaches to employ all year round. Let’s join a large group of people who plan to carry on with better hygiene habits, even after this virus has run its course.

This article was originally published on 09/03/20 – please refer to official sources for updates on guidance for the public.

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