Return to Rowing Update

Recently, Premier McNeil and Dr. Strang announced that sport activity was cleared to resume, provided sport organizations can meet the Nova Scotia public health directives (and for rowing clubs, the guidelines set out by RCA).  This is very exciting news for the rowing community, and another step closer to returning to rowing at our clubs. However, before any rowing can occur, Row NS and our clubs must ensure that they can:

• Meet public health directives to ensure that clubs are creating the safest environment possible; and 
• Meet the Return to Rowing recommendations and guidelines that have been developed by Rowing Canada.

Not every rowing club in NS will have the ability to open at the same time. Each club will need to determine how they can comply with RCA and the Province’s guidelines and what new adjustments may be required at their club.
It is important for the safety of our clubs and our members that we obey all public health directives. Rowing needs to be a leader in the sporting community and an example of how to return safely and appropriately when the time is right. The onus of safety not only applies to the rowing clubs but is also shared by all rowers.

For our rowers, it’s important to remember what you can do to help:

• Complete regular health checks and stay home if you have signs of sickness. This means check yourself regularly and do not enter your club if you have fever, new cough or a cough that’s getting worse, sore throat, runny nose or headache (or other symptoms as listed on 811.novascotia.ca.) The following app from Health Canada can be used to assist with this: Thrive Health App;
• Do not enter a club if you have traveled outside of Nova Scotia in the last 14 days;
• Keep your distance. Limit your interaction with other people and stay at least 2 metres (6 feet) apart; and
• Abide by all club rules surrounding sanitization and other COVID-related guidelines.  

We encourage our members to review and familiarize themselves with Province of NS’s Preparing to Reopen website: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/what-it-means-for-nova-scotians/.

It is very important to acknowledge that rowing will look very different this summer. It will be a steep learning curve for the rowers, coaches, clubs, and the Nova Scotia Rowing community as a whole. We ask for your patience as clubs in Nova Scotia begin to reopen and offer rowing programs again.

If you would like to view the recommendations and guidelines developed by Rowing Canada, you can do so here: https://rowingcanada.org/return-to-rowing-planning/.

We each need to do our part to keep the rowing community healthy and safe. We’re excited to see you on the water soon!