ECB Statement on Lockdown Starting Today
All indoor and outdoor club cricketing activity to cease.
Surrey County Cricket Club wrote to us yesterday evening conveying a statement from the ECB, the key messages of which are set out below.
All indoor and outdoor club cricketing activity is to cease. The Club nets may not be used.
As a result of the UK Government’s new national COVID-19 restrictions, and subject to Members of Parliament voting today and the publication of bespoke guidance from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS], ECB understands all organised recreational cricket activity indoors and outdoors will be suspended from 5th November until 2nd December in England. Professional cricket that is classified as elite by the UK Government can continue as an exemption during this period.
Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs must close; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (before 10pm; and not including alcohol), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery.
The UK Government has confirmed that school sport can continue as an exemption during this period but university sport must be suspended. Coach education programmes can continue where this cannot be undertaken online.
The health and wellbeing of everyone in the cricket community has and remains our number one priority and we are in dialogue with DCMS about how recreational cricket activity can return safely once the national lockdown ends.