The sport and leisure sector has played a crucial role in bringing sport and exercise back safely following necessary periods of Covid restrictions. While the restrictions have been relaxed, Coronavirus is still with us and as we enter the winter period, it is vital we remain vigilant and do everything we can to Keep Wales Safe.

In recent weeks, the number of positive cases of Coronavirus has fluctuated but they remain high and we must continue our efforts to follow the measures in place to keep us, our families and our communities safe. The rise in numbers is being driven by high infection rates in young people, which is why efforts have been increased to encourage school and college students to take twice weekly lateral flow tests. There is evidence to suggest, however, that a number of clusters continue to be linked to the activities associated with school and community sports clubs.

None of us want to return to the measures that restrict us from enjoying the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of sport and exercise so we must work together to keep us moving forward. As well as promoting the basic principles – hand washing, social distancing, wearing face coverings and following the testing regime, sports clubs and facilities should continue to adhere to the reasonable measures advice and the Alert level 0 guidance. We would ask clubs to tell all participants and parents of participants not to attend a club activity if they feel unwell. We would also ask clubs to encourage participants aged 12-25 to take a lateral flow test the day before attending a session or competition/match, and to stay away, get a PCR test and isolate if they test positive or have symptoms of Covid 19.

By keeping sport safe, we can keep playing and we can Keep Wales Safe.