We are delighted that the government’s confirmation of the relaxation of the rules and regulations currently in place in response to the COVID pandemic means that we can continue with our planned Summer Meeting being run face-to-face in Eastbourne on Aug 6-15.
We have already received quite a number of entries for all events there and we anticipate that many members will have been waiting for this confirmation before making their entries. Although we will take entries up to and including the start of each event, we would welcome players entering as soon as they decide they are coming, so that we can get a sense of the numbers well in advance for planning purposes. If you subsequently change your mind, you can get a full refund of your entry fee.
As usual there will be a £2 surcharge for each event booked in person at the venue itself, rather than online using My EBU or by phone in advance. We hope this will encourage people not to wait to pay in person, which in turn will allow us to minimise queueing before the start of each day. In the same way, to try to avoid crowds in the venue, we will not display results near the playing areas, but players will instead be able to access current results on Bridgemates and by using smart-phones.
Since the government regulations will no longer limit the number of people who can meet in a group and the “1m-plus rule” will be removed, there will be no requirement for players to wear masks beyond the government’s statement that it "expects and recommends" people to wear face coverings in crowded areas. However, we will provide masks for those who wish to use them.
The only venues that are being advised to ask for evidence of vaccination or negative COVID tests using “vaccine passports” are night-clubs and large events so we will not need to do this, but of course we require that anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID does not come to play.
Full details of the congress and all the events contained in it, including some events for less-experienced players. are available on the Summer Meeting webpage. For those who are not able to come in person, the Monday and Tuesday mid-week sessions are able to be played online and the Wednesday and Thursday evening games will be offered as “satellite events” in a few clubs, as listed on the website.
We look forward to seeing as many of you at Eastbourne as possible and we are sure that you too will be keen to see old friends and renew acquaintances.
July 16, 2021