The First Minister’s statement to Scottish Parliament yesterday set out a tightening of coronavirus-related restrictions, in response to an increase in the rate of spread of the virus, with priorities being to save lives and protect health, keep schools open, restart as many non-coronavirus NHS services as possible, and protect jobs by keeping businesses open where possible.
As you are all aware, Scottish Volleyball was preparing to deliver the National Junior Beach Volleyball Festival this coming weekend at Portobello in Edinburgh. The new restrictions announced yesterday by our Scottish Government do not significantly impact outdoor organised activities, however the restrictions applied to single household car travel does affect a nationally planned event therefore Scottish Volleyball has decided to postpone our event until as a Nation we are all in a safer place.
We do realise that all participants registered were really looking forward to this weekend and we were too! Scottish Volleyball does have all the approved guidance and necessary measures in place to run the event safely, however by postponing this event we are playing our part in supporting the Scottish Government Public Health message and reducing the risk and spread of the coronavirus infection, with the safety of our members, staff, volunteers and the wider community as our top priority.
Please be assured that we are already looking to reschedule the National Festival to when we will be in a better position to do so. We are constantly reviewing the guidance and hope to be in a position to deliver an alternative date soon, but this may be on a more regional basis if the current restrictions remain in place, especially regarding travel.