Hows the quarantine treating you

Cashman · Jan 10, 2021

Dags said:
Australia
28,595 cases
909 deaths

What’s more, 21,000 of those cases and 820 of the deaths are in a single state (Victoria). Most of the country has been very very lucky.

Our constitution allows individual states to close their borders for the health protection of its citizens, which has been a great help in containing the spread.

WildVolley · Jan 10, 2021

Courts were packed this midday. Luckily my friend got there early just before one opened up. But a bunch of them were taken by pickle ball freaks, and this place doesn't even have those awful lines all over the place.

We need to convince the State govt that pickle ball will instantly spread Cyrus and lead to horrific deaths. Banning it is the only way we can be safe.

sureshs · Jan 10, 2021

Ate at a restaurant now with patio dining. Another one I go to has indoor dining, where I stay away from the bar and sit in an inside room. All servers masked and tables distanced.

Both open for dining when they are supposed to be take-out only. But no defiance or protest or angry patrons. Just done quietly on the side. That is the way I like it.

Cashman · Jan 10, 2021

sureshs said:
Both open for dining when they are supposed to be take-out only.

In Australia, any corporation found breaking COVID regulations is fined $55,000 on the spot and $27,500 for every day it takes them to rectify the problem.

For individuals, it is $11,000/$5,500 and up to 6 months in gaol.

Dartagnan64 · Jan 10, 2021

Cashman said:
In Australia, any corporation found breaking COVID regulations is fined $55,000 on the spot and $27,500 for every day it takes them to rectify the problem.

For individuals, it is $11,000/$5,500 and up to 6 months in gaol.

These things are why America is getting blown apart by COVID and Australia is not. Sadly Canada seems to want to go down the American route. Although Quebec finally introduced curfews but the fines were pretty modest.

Injured Again · Jan 10, 2021

Our club is reopening tomorrow after being closed since mid-November. We have a statewide face covering mandate when playing indoors or outdoors. We are instituting a first-time non-compliance fine of $100, and a second time non-compliance fine of $200. After that, the player will probably be given some time away from the club to reflect on their actions.

Vanhalen · Jan 10, 2021

bobleenov1963 said:
I live near Washington DC and the Trump mob that caused riot and mayhem at the US capitol will be a Covid super spreaders event, and more people will get sick and die because of this. The US is turning into a banana republi, not democratic republic.

Oh, give me a break.

BallChaser · Jan 10, 2021

In Chicago. Only two people per indoor court with face mask required all time. Indoor doubles may resume in a week, if COVID numbers continue to come down.

Matthew Lee · Jan 10, 2021

In SoCal, was gonna go back to my house near my university so I could focus on studies but was convinced by my dad to stay home. It was a good move because literally the day after one of my housemates tested positive for covid.

In terms of tennis I've been getting a little heated because of people who openly break the rules set by the local park. There are tons of signs that say doubles play is not permitted, but so many people (mostly on the older side, but definitely quite a few younger people, as well) come in groups of 4 or more to play. Maybe they have their own thing, but when park officials occasionally kicks people off the court for breaking the rules, you might think these people would eventually learn that what they're doing isn't allowed.

One other thing is that coaches are not allowed to teach students for the time being. However, there's one coach that constantly teaches students at our local park. Most people understand that this is more relatable, as this is his job and he needs to be making some sort of income. Still, some people look down on him for breaking the rules that other coaches are listening to.

bobleenov1963 · Jan 11, 2021

Vanhalen said:
Oh, give me a break.

Oh really? What happened on Wednesday at the US Capitol only happens in a banana republic countries whenever there is an election dispute, not the US where we have democratic election with peaceful transition of power. Never in my life that I could imagine something like this in the United States of America.

The mob created a mayhem at the US Capitol and a very large crowd with no social distancing and NO face mask. If that is not a covid-19 super spread event, I don't know what is.

On another side note, tennis courts are plentiful here in Florida and always available because not many tennis players here. Golf courses are beginning to get much busier due to migration by Northeasterners to Florida. Most of them are not wearing mask

nyta2 · Jan 11, 2021

quarantine observations:
* through spring 2020... was playing on private courts after public courts were locked up
* late spring/summer, when courts opened up again:
--phased opening... phase1

nly every other court had a net/"singles" only on the makeshift laminated rules; phase2:all courts have nets/"doubles" allowed
--many new players taking up the game,... interestingly there were at least a handful of "veteran tennis players" (eg. over 70 that played "all the time") that were harassing newbs... i got into a argument a couple times with these old timers (ie. leave the noobs alone, just let them play, even if they are using racquetball/paddle racquets)
--phase1:i often just hit on no net courts when busy (no one objected)
--after phase2:courts were *very* busy... hard to get a court...
--had to move lessons to very early mornings (eg. 6-9a), or 1p (hottest time of day)
--alot of competition with other teaching pros (because their indoor clubs were still closed)
* late fall - after temps hit 40's, only die hards were playing tennis
* winter - still playing indoors (singles and doubles)

other...
* i quit one of my (indoor) clubs that only allowed tennis with a mask
* played outdoor usta all through spring/summer

nyta2 · Jan 11, 2021

bobleenov1963 said:
Most of them are not wearing mask

i imagine i wouldn't wear a mask either... eg. 400yd is typically good social distance? foursomes i'm guessing can easily distance 6ft+ apart?

Traffic · Jan 11, 2021

I'm going to have to revisit the details of indoor activities opening up in WA state as clubs are all re-opening. The only rule that's changed for our club that I'm aware of is players have to wear mask at all times. In the Fall, it was wear masks going on and off the court in case of incidental break of social distancing. But during play, mask was optional.

We'll see what happens this week as all the reservable court times are booked.

nyta2 · Jan 11, 2021

Matthew Lee said:
In SoCal, was gonna go back to my house near my university so I could focus on studies but was convinced by my dad to stay home. It was a good move because literally the day after one of my housemates tested positive for covid.

In terms of tennis I've been getting a little heated because of people who openly break the rules set by the local park. There are tons of signs that say doubles play is not permitted, but so many people (mostly on the older side, but definitely quite a few younger people, as well) come in groups of 4 or more to play. Maybe they have their own thing, but when park officials occasionally kicks people off the court for breaking the rules, you might think these people would eventually learn that what they're doing isn't allowed.

One other thing is that coaches are not allowed to teach students for the time being. However, there's one coach that constantly teaches students at our local park. Most people understand that this is more relatable, as this is his job and he needs to be making some sort of income. Still, some people look down on him for breaking the rules that other coaches are listening to.

regarding teaching, yeah i was moving all lessons to dead times (eg. 6-9a or 1p in the summer heat)

Chalkdust · Jan 11, 2021

FiReFTW said:
Hows the situation in your state/country, have you been able to play alot?

I haven't played for months due to lockdowns in my country, now they opened it up again, went to play yesterday after such a long time... now they lock it back up starting today lmao, for a few months probably... my country is ridicilous, a joke.

Have been playing a ton! At my club courts were never closed completely, but there was a period in the spring when only singles play was allowed. Didn't matter to me since I prefer singles anyway.

The other impact is no leagues but that has turned out to be a plus, at least for me. My tennis circle has expanded and I can get as many hitting sessions and matches as I want. I doubt I will go back to playing leagues when they start up again.

zipplock said:
Wide open where I live in Florida. Never had lockdowns, courts have always been open. Weather is beautiful. Y'all should come for a visit

Nooooo, it is terrible here, please don't come and crowd my courts!

bobleenov1963 · Jan 11, 2021

Chalkdust said:
Have been playing a ton! At my club courts were never closed completely, but there was a period in the spring when only singles play was allowed. Didn't matter to me since I prefer singles anyway.

The other impact is no leagues but that has turned out to be a plus, at least for me. My tennis circle has expanded and I can get as many hitting sessions and matches as I want. I doubt I will go back to playing leagues when they start up again.

Nooooo, it is terrible here, please don't come and crowd my courts!

70 degree F, light wind and most sunny in Cocoa beach FL. Come on down and enjoy yourself. Tennis courts are virtually emptied most of the times near the place I am staying

schmke · Jan 12, 2021

Played this morning for the first time in 2 months, and had to wear a mask as is the rule for this phase of re-opening (we did not have to over the Summer/Fall when we were open).

For me, the mask is very annoying as I wear glasses and they immediately fog up. I tried doing the dance of taking them off between points and trying to limit breathing during points, but it wasn't working so I just ditched them and played without. Thankfully I see well enough to play without them, and it was certainly better to be playing than not.

sureshs · Jan 13, 2021

schmke said:
Played this morning for the first time in 2 months, and had to wear a mask as is the rule for this phase of re-opening (we did not have to over the Summer/Fall when we were open).

For me, the mask is very annoying as I wear glasses and they immediately fog up. I tried doing the dance of taking them off between points and trying to limit breathing during points, but it wasn't working so I just ditched them and played without. Thankfully I see well enough to play without them, and it was certainly better to be playing than not.

How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Your Glasses

An ophthalmologist shows you how to fit your face mask properly to avoid fogging up your glasses.

www.aao.org

schmke · Jan 13, 2021

sureshs said:
How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Your Glasses

An ophthalmologist shows you how to fit your face mask properly to avoid fogging up your glasses.

www.aao.org

Thanks. Didn't try the tape, but did everything else. A doctor or nurse wearing a mask in a hospital setting and someone playing tennis are different scenarios though, there is significantly more respiration when exercising.

Jack the Hack · Jan 13, 2021

For those in Washington state (@schmke, @Traffic, @Injured Again), I understand that individual clubs can set their own rules in terms of how they comply with state mask mandates while playing. As such, it seems like the Seattle clubs are taking things a step further than the state requirement by making people play with them on. However, my club (in Vancouver, WA) is not requiring face masks while playing - only when entering and leaving the facility. When I searched for clarification on this, this is what the state website says:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do people need to wear face coverings while working out in a gym?
Only if they cannot maintain 6 feet of separation from non-household members in the gym.

COVID-19

We now know that COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. It’s important to understand how to live our lives while keeping ourselves, loved ones and community as safe as possible. How can we do that? By using all the tools we’ve learned so far: staying up to date with COVID-19...

coronavirus.wa.gov

For me personally, for the past 9+ months, I've only been hitting by myself against the ball machine when the club is open. The club already provides hand sanitizer for scrubbing down the machine controls before and after use. If they made me wear a mask while hitting on the machine, I'd probably stop coming and put my membership on hold until this all returns to normal. I can get almost as much of a workout for free hitting against the wall at my local elementary school, which has a covered area where I can hit.

3loudboys · Jan 13, 2021

cortado said:
Consider that different countries are not counting 'cases' and 'deaths' in the same way.
Australia has one third the population of UK, spread out over a much larger area.
I really don't understand these people who relish how 'badly' we have done in UK. What would you do differently? Brick people up in their houses?

Noone relishes the state of the UK at the moment, 1564 reasons not to today. More probably astonished to see how poorly we compare internationally.

cortado · Jan 13, 2021

3loudboys said:
Noone relishes the state of the UK at the moment, 1564 reasons not to today. More probably astonished to see how poorly we compare internationally.

Until every nation in the world tests the same proportion of population at the same rate, and counts cases and deaths based on same criteria, and then interprets these results in the context of their population density, population age etc, it isn't really possible to objectively compare different nations.

Traffic · Jan 13, 2021

Jack the Hack said:
For those in Washington state (@schmke, @Traffic, @Injured Again), I understand that individual clubs can set their own rules in terms of how they comply with state mask mandates while playing. As such, it seems like the Seattle clubs are taking things a step further than the state requirement by making people play with them on. However, my club (in Vancouver, WA) is not requiring face masks while playing - only when entering and leaving the facility. When I searched for clarification on this, this is what the state website says:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do people need to wear face coverings while working out in a gym?
Only if they cannot maintain 6 feet of separation from non-household members in the gym.

COVID-19

We now know that COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. It’s important to understand how to live our lives while keeping ourselves, loved ones and community as safe as possible. How can we do that? By using all the tools we’ve learned so far: staying up to date with COVID-19...

coronavirus.wa.gov

For me personally, for the past 9+ months, I've only been hitting by myself against the ball machine when the club is open. The club already provides hand sanitizer for scrubbing down the machine controls before and after use. If they made me wear a mask while hitting on the machine, I'd probably stop coming and put my membership on hold until this all returns to normal. I can get almost as much of a workout for free hitting against the wall at my local elementary school, which has a covered area where I can hit.

The new "Healthy Washington" specifies that masks are worn at all times for indoor activities. The previous order talked about social distancing and masks for incidental contact. So there are slightly different rules for this latest opening.

schmke · Jan 13, 2021

Traffic said:
The new "Healthy Washington" specifies that masks are worn at all times for indoor activities. The previous order talked about social distancing and masks for incidental contact. So there are slightly different rules for this latest opening.

From https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/...ents-fitness-and-gatherings-region-by-region/ when the new "opening" was announced:

"Currently, all indoor fitness is entirely prohibited. DOH now believes that the state can safely allow appointment-based fitness and training where there is no more than 1 customer per room or 500 square feet for large facilities. This will allow gyms to schedule people wanting to come in to work out in a safe way to ensure activity during winter months. Masks and physical distancing are required."

That said, I haven't seen the same mask requirement listed elsewhere :/

Jack the Hack · Jan 13, 2021

Traffic said:
The new "Healthy Washington" specifies that masks are worn at all times for indoor activities. The previous order talked about social distancing and masks for incidental contact. So there are slightly different rules for this latest opening.

Yeah, @schmke and @Traffic, I understand what you are saying, and I am certainly not trying to be argumentative. For my sake and for the sake of my local club down here (which I want to stay open, if possible), I genuinely want to know where the specification exists that "masks are worn at all times for indoor activities" in the Healthy Washington directives?

When you Google the string "Healthy Washington Mask Requirements" you get directed to the exact same website that I cited in my previous post, https://coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-your-family/face-masks-or-cloth-face-covering.

Which, again, in the frequently asked question section, states:

Do people need to wear face coverings while working out in a gym?
Only if they cannot maintain 6 feet of separation from non-household members in the gym.

Higher up on the page, it says:

An order from the secretary of health requires Washingtonians to wear face coverings in public spaces and shared spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Examples include hotel or apartment hallways, outdoors where many people are gathered such as parks, playgrounds or popular walking paths, and in a restaurant when not seated and eating. People are individually responsible to comply with this order.

Do these two statements conflict with each other?

In my opinion, I don't think so. It seems that masks are only required for tennis (indoor or out) if you can't maintain 6 feet of separation during the activity, so it seems like the Seattle clubs are going further than the requirement, which is their prerogative. However, that Capital Hill Seattle article seems to outline more restrictions that aren't on the state website.

Looking further, I found this statement in this addendum (https://coronavirus.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-10/Overview of mask order_OctoberUpdate.pdf):

The secretary of Health has ordered all individuals to wear a face covering in any indoor public setting or when outdoors and unable to maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others.

The governor's latest degree says (https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/d... - COVID-19 Safe Start-Stay Healthy (tmp).pdf):

No business may operate, allow a customer to enter a business, or conduct business with a customer inside any building that is open to the public or outdoors in a public place unless the customer is wearing a face covering, as required by Order of the Secretary of Health 20-03.

So, as I read this, clubs must require players to wear a mask when they check into the club and pay for things... but does going down to the courts and playing tennis (especially singles or as an individual against a ball machine) constitute "conducting business" in this case? If so, why hasn't the State of Washington clarified the inconsistencies on their official website where these rules are posted? How are we supposed to comply if this isn't crystal clear?

sureshs · Jan 13, 2021

schmke said:
Thanks. Didn't try the tape, but did everything else. A doctor or nurse wearing a mask in a hospital setting and someone playing tennis are different scenarios though, there is significantly more respiration when exercising.

I know. I wear glasses and it is a pain.

schmke · Jan 13, 2021

Jack the Hack said:
Yeah, @schmke and @Traffic, I understand what you are saying, and I am certainly not trying to be argumentative. For my sake and for the sake of my local club down here (which I want to stay open, if possible), I genuinely want to know where the specification exists that "masks are worn at all times for indoor activities" in the Healthy Washington directives?

When you Google the string "Healthy Washington Mask Requirements" you get directed to the exact same website that I cited in my previous post, https://coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-your-family/face-masks-or-cloth-face-covering.

Which, again, in the frequently asked question section, states:

Do people need to wear face coverings while working out in a gym?
Only if they cannot maintain 6 feet of separation from non-household members in the gym.

Higher up on the page, it says:

An order from the secretary of health requires Washingtonians to wear face coverings in public spaces and shared spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Examples include hotel or apartment hallways, outdoors where many people are gathered such as parks, playgrounds or popular walking paths, and in a restaurant when not seated and eating. People are individually responsible to comply with this order.

Do these two statements conflict with each other?

In my opinion, I don't think so. It seems that masks are only required for tennis (indoor or out) if you can't maintain 6 feet of separation during the activity, so it seems like the Seattle clubs are going further than the requirement, which is their prerogative. However, that Capital Hill Seattle article seems to outline more restrictions that aren't on the state website.

Looking further, I found this statement in this addendum (https://coronavirus.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-10/Overview of mask order_OctoberUpdate.pdf):

The secretary of Health has ordered all individuals to wear a face covering in any indoor public setting or when outdoors and unable to maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others.

The governor's latest degree says (https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/proclamations/20-25.6 - COVID-19 Safe Start-Stay Healthy (tmp).pdf):

No business may operate, allow a customer to enter a business, or conduct business with a customer inside any building that is open to the public or outdoors in a public place unless the customer is wearing a face covering, as required by Order of the Secretary of Health 20-03.

So, as I read this, clubs must require players to wear a mask when they check into the club and pay for things... but does going down to the courts and playing tennis (especially singles or as an individual against a ball machine) constitute "conducting business" in this case? If so, why hasn't the State of Washington clarified the inconsistencies on their official website where these rules are posted? How are we supposed to comply if this isn't crystal clear?

Good points. Even before your reply, I was considering sending my club an e-mail asking where the mask requirement is coming from, as the letter of the new rules regarding athletic clubs doesn't seem to mention masks being required or at least is ambiguous.

Jack the Hack · Jan 13, 2021

Alrighty, sorry to all of those that are outside of WA and don't care...

I found an official document that spells out the directives for sports: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19 Sporting Activities Guidance.pdf

In here, it says that masks are required at all times for any indoors sports, in both phases 1 and 2 of the 2021 re-openings. I found this after checking out what the other two clubs in Vancouver were doing, and one of them had this link on their page. So, it sounds like my club is screwing up at the moment... but I'm sure that will change quickly so they can keep the doors open.

Interestingly, that document states that tennis is officially categorized as a "low risk" sport, which is the first time I have seen the governor of WA publically state that in any place.

As I mentioned, I'm not cool with the idea of wearing a mask while I hit on the ball machine by myself... so I'll probably end up putting my membership on hold for awhile and just play against the wall. I realized the other day that it's been over a year since I've played a set. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot more personal fitness and running. I still love tennis, and will always follow the sport as a fan, but the longer this goes on, I'm not sure that I'll be rushing back to play.

Jack the Hack · Jan 13, 2021

^^^^^

Yep, I found the official document finally. I sure wish that that state would consolidate this together and not have conflicting information on their website. I'm sure that's how my club got the wrong directions.

schmke said:
Good points. Even before your reply, I was considering sending my club an e-mail asking where the mask requirement is coming from, as the letter of the new rules regarding athletic clubs doesn't seem to mention masks being required or at least is ambiguous.

Traffic · Jan 13, 2021

@Jack the Hack , if you view the latest Healthy Wa document, it links you to another document that outlines guidelines for low risk sports (Tennis). On page 3 of this document (https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/d...hase 2 and 3 Sporting Activities Guidance.pdf)

Facial coverings required for all coaches, volunteers and athletes at all times.

Masks Masks required for all athletes/participants. Coaches, trainers, managers, spotters, and any other paid or volunteer staff must wear face coverings at all times.

For the base Healthy WA document, (https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19 Fitness Guidance.pdf) page 3

Masks Masks required for staff and participants at all times.

Traffic · Jan 13, 2021

schmke said:
Thanks. Didn't try the tape, but did everything else. A doctor or nurse wearing a mask in a hospital setting and someone playing tennis are different scenarios though, there is significantly more respiration when exercising.

I've got a few tennis sessions coming up. I will look for my athletic tape and give this a try.

It's bothersome for breathing. But the bigger nuisance is fogged glasses.

I played on Monday and I felt like Nadal re-adjusting my mask in between every point and clearing the fog on my glasses.
Yesterday, I tried playing without glasses and that didn't work out too well...

Injured Again · Jan 13, 2021

Jack the Hack said:
Alrighty, sorry to all of those that are outside of WA and don't care...

I found an official document that spells out the directives for sports: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19 Sporting Activities Guidance.pdf

In here, it says that masks are required at all times for any indoors sports, in both phases 1 and 2 of the 2021 re-openings. I found this after checking out what the other two clubs in Vancouver were doing, and one of them had this link on their page. So, it sounds like my club is screwing up at the moment... but I'm sure that will change quickly so they can keep the doors open.

Interestingly, that document states that tennis is officially categorized as a "low risk" sport, which is the first time I have seen the governor of WA publically state that in any place.

As I mentioned, I'm not cool with the idea of wearing a mask while I hit on the ball machine by myself... so I'll probably end up putting my membership on hold for awhile and just play against the wall. I realized the other day that it's been over a year since I've played a set. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot more personal fitness and running. I still love tennis, and will always follow the sport as a fan, but the longer this goes on, I'm not sure that I'll be rushing back to play.

I was going to provide a link to that document. When the news conference happened mid-last week, we were expecting the official guidance to come out by Friday, to give the clubs the weekend to get everything right. Those documents weren't published until late Monday, **after** we had already been open for the day. Fortunately, our club manager got a draft copy last week which was circulated among the board officers for interpretation, just hoping that nothing would change when the final versions came out. There were some slight changes but nothing fortunately that affected our operations.

The move to place tennis in the "low risk" category came partly as an effort from our club manager, who in affiliation with other club managers lobbied the governor's office hard and insistently to separate tennis from fitness. As a low risk sport, the likelihood we will get indoor tennis shut down again is minimized, even if gyms do get shut down again.

In terms of tennis, there really isn't much to be gained by advancing to phase 2. Sure, competitions can start happening but it is problematic if two teams in the same league are in different regions with different requirements. Once a region moves to phase 2, the requirements to stay at phase 2 are much less stringent. As part of the puget sound region, if we were in phase 2 now, we would likely remain in phase 2 for the foreseeable future. Our region currently meets three of the four criteria to move to phase 2, and once there you only have to meet three of the four at a much less stringent level to remain there.

As for myself, I sweat **a lot**. I've found that using a fleece earband warmer as a face covering, along with some sort of wicking headband, helps keep the irritation down to a minimum even as I sweat through two shirts and two towels. I've ordered a few more thin earbands off the rainforest site just for this purpose, since I have a feeling we'll be at this until late spring.

Flootoo · Jan 13, 2021

cortado said:
UK. Not been able to play group drill sessions since October, only singles indoors or doubles outdoors, then only singles outdoors, now nothing. My village courts have had the padlocks changed again so I can't even go in by myself to practice serves.
This lockdown is supposed to last 3 months. Can't wait to go back in to another lockdown a few months after this one ends, once cases start to 'rise' again.
Let's just lockdown forever eh? So that nobody ever dies of anything ever again.

UK: More than 80,000 deaths, more than 3 million with potential long-term health issues, and you're moaning about not being able to do your waiter's serve?
Let me guess- Tory by any chance?

3loudboys · Jan 14, 2021

cortado said:
Until every nation in the world tests the same proportion of population at the same rate, and counts cases and deaths based on same criteria, and then interprets these results in the context of their population density, population age etc, it isn't really possible to objectively compare different nations.

100% noted and agree on statistical abnormality - thats why its safer to measure using Excess Mortatlity. Its never going to be perfect but a reasonable indicator and it does show that the UK has had a worse time than a lot of other countries, expecially in the March through May where we were hopelessly unprepared. 2020 was a terrible year for the UK with excess mortality the worst since WW2 - up 85k.

socallefty · Jan 14, 2021

Top athletes in other sports train while wearing masks or in high altitude to improve their respiratory fitness. Why don’t your guys in Washington wear masks while playing tennis and convince yourselves that you are trying to replicate high-altitude training. Also, who wears glasses these days when you can get all kinds of flexible, soft contact lenses - it’s akin to playing with non-poly strings.

ChrisG · Jan 14, 2021

Indoor tennis isn’t allowed in France, so it’s been rather difficult to play for the past winter months. I’m one of those die hard playing tennis, so last week I played twice in an almost frozen artificial clay court. Slipped a few times, but you got to do what you got to do !
Our tennis club has a big indoor facility with lot of ventilation, only kids are allowed there, but I don’t understand why adults can’t. Mask is not required outdoor.
I’m quite puzzled by the constant change of criteria for this covid thing. First it was death rates, then the number of hospitalizations, now is the number of infected people (regardless of the symptoms) with testing going crazy everywhere in the streets so numbers will always be increasing.
For months stats show there are no more deaths than before while experiencing lockdowns and no lockdown, curfew and no curfew, so I don’t get why we keep these insane measures

randomtoss · Jan 14, 2021

HelenCH said:
Science has nothing to do with it. This is ministry of sport definition of open air installations. Frustrating. Especially when the government cannot grow a pair and act decisively to close places where transmission is occuring. We are already in this situation because they didn't do anything when we hit 1000 cases a day (at which point we closed in March for almost two months and had cases reduced almost 20-fold). Now, they let them go up to 10000 until hospitals started cracking and number of deaths has quadrupled since. More people died of Covid from November until now than from March until November. It will take much longer now to get things under control. If they acted on time, we could all have nice Christmas. Glaring incompetence as it they didn't know what would happen and that they would still have to close and for longer if they waited. Oh well, bring on the vaccine. I should get mine sometimes in March hopefully. But it's boring...

Il would add that we are a very economy-oriented country, with a very powerful and successful lobbying from business unions. This is part of the reason why we have a horrible death toll. I agree with you that we should have closed everything sooner.

cortado · Jan 14, 2021

Flootoo said:
UK: More than 80,000 deaths, more than 3 million with potential long-term health issues, and you're moaning about not being able to do your waiter's serve?
Let me guess- Tory by any chance?

What risk would my practicing serves by myself confer on others? I'm still working full-time, having contact with my colleagues and the public. That is far more of a risk than me serving.
Your ad hominem attack veiled as question illustrates the main problem with this coronavirus pandemic - it has been politicised completely out of proportion. It's the new Brexit.

schmke · Jan 14, 2021

socallefty said:
Top athletes in other sports train while wearing masks or in high altitude to improve their respiratory fitness. Why don’t your guys in Washington wear masks while playing tennis and convince yourselves that you are trying to replicate high-altitude training. Also, who wears glasses these days when you can get all kinds of flexible, soft contact lenses - it’s akin to playing with non-poly strings.

Exactly my thought when playing this morning. Just think how good I'm going to be when I've had to play with this breathing/seeing handicap and it suddenly is removed!

Jack the Hack · Jan 14, 2021

Injured Again said:
I was going to provide a link to that document. When the news conference happened mid-last week, we were expecting the official guidance to come out by Friday, to give the clubs the weekend to get everything right. Those documents weren't published until late Monday, **after** we had already been open for the day. Fortunately, our club manager got a draft copy last week which was circulated among the board officers for interpretation, just hoping that nothing would change when the final versions came out. There were some slight changes but nothing fortunately that affected our operations.

The move to place tennis in the "low risk" category came partly as an effort from our club manager, who in affiliation with other club managers lobbied the governor's office hard and insistently to separate tennis from fitness. As a low risk sport, the likelihood we will get indoor tennis shut down again is minimized, even if gyms do get shut down again.

In terms of tennis, there really isn't much to be gained by advancing to phase 2. Sure, competitions can start happening but it is problematic if two teams in the same league are in different regions with different requirements. Once a region moves to phase 2, the requirements to stay at phase 2 are much less stringent. As part of the puget sound region, if we were in phase 2 now, we would likely remain in phase 2 for the foreseeable future. Our region currently meets three of the four criteria to move to phase 2, and once there you only have to meet three of the four at a much less stringent level to remain there.

As for myself, I sweat **a lot**. I've found that using a fleece earband warmer as a face covering, along with some sort of wicking headband, helps keep the irritation down to a minimum even as I sweat through two shirts and two towels. I've ordered a few more thin earbands off the rainforest site just for this purpose, since I have a feeling we'll be at this until late spring.

Thanks for the reply and the suggestion about the fleece earband warmer as a face covering. I sweat a lot when active as well. When I was helping my son move out of his shared apartment a few months ago, I was wearing an N95 mask and it was getting saturated with sweat. Every 20 minutes or so, I would have to stop, pore out the mask, and wipe my whole head down. I wouldn't want to do that while playing tennis, which is one of the reasons I was resistant to wearing a mask while hitting by myself on the ball machine. However, perhaps I can use something like the warmer, a bandanna, or one of those altitude training masks like @socallefty mentioned.

toby55555 · Jan 15, 2021

No tennis in England since stronger lockdown recommenced a week ago, probably be at least a month before we can play outdoor singles again. Oddly in Scotland tennis and golf are still allowed.

mmk · Jan 15, 2021

Maryland, playing doubles on har-tru in a bubble and singles on indoor hardcourts. In both cases we have to wear masks, which doesn't bother me too much, although I'm always relieved when I get to my car and take mine off. When I play singles I get on an elliptical trainer at the club's gym to warm up my legs. Prior to covid the gym was usually crowded, now there might be a dozen people.

Traffic · Jan 15, 2021

Ok, I tried using some medical athletic tape on the top of my mask to help prevent my glasses from fogging up and it worked ok. But I forgot about it when I had a break to get a drink of water. When the tape got pulled off my skin because I was fiddling with the mask, it never stuck back the same way. But all in all, another hack to help things out a bit. I may try the tape with a different mask (I was using a disposable one).

bobleenov1963 · Jan 15, 2021

Doesn't Scottland also have a prime minister and its own legislative body? It is like a country within the UK. England and the US is the same. A patch work within the 50 states with no uniform standard. Each governors can decide whatever they want. Florida has its own rule while Maryland has different rules than Florida, and no enforcement.

No wonder why the virus is killing so many ppl in the US.

Dartagnan64 · Jan 15, 2021

I'm getting so used to wearing a masks all day long at work, I think I'd be fine wearing one playing tennis, if only to be able to play doubles.

OnTheLine · Jan 15, 2021

In terms of playing in a mask with glasses (sun or corrective) ... Make your mask out of an old dress sock. can look it up on line ... takes 35 seconds and no sewing required.
Will stay put and not ride up
Can easily breath through as it is knit
Way lower fogging
Clicks the box for "face covering"

S&V-not_dead_yet · Jan 15, 2021

OnTheLine said:
In terms of playing in a mask with glasses (sun or corrective) ... Make your mask out of an old dress sock. can look it up on line ... takes 35 seconds and no sewing required.
Will stay put and not ride up
Can easily breath through as it is knit

The only problem is that if it can be easily breathed through, how much protection is it offering? Regardless of how effective you believe masks actually are [unless you think it's 0], the answer has to be "a lot less than an N-95 or double-layer fabric mask".

OnTheLine · Jan 15, 2021

S&V-not_dead_yet said:
The only problem is that if it can be easily breathed through, how much protection is it offering? Regardless of how effective you believe masks actually are [unless you think it's 0], the answer has to be "a lot less than an N-95 or double-layer fabric mask".

I am ONLY recommending this for when playing tennis somewhere that requires a mask when playing .... personally, I don't see the need for a mask on a tennis court as one is really always socially distanced.

I would think this would offer zero protection in any situation where you are closer than 6' and indoors. Would never think this is okay in those situations.

Traffic · Jan 15, 2021

OnTheLine said:
I am ONLY recommending this for when playing tennis somewhere that requires a mask when playing .... personally, I don't see the need for a mask on a tennis court as one is really always socially distanced.

I would think this would offer zero protection in any situation where you are closer than 6' and indoors. Would never think this is okay in those situations.

Hey now, don't confuse science with rules

Traffic · Jan 15, 2021

S&V-not_dead_yet said:
The only problem is that if it can be easily breathed through, how much protection is it offering? Regardless of how effective you believe masks actually are [unless you think it's 0], the answer has to be "a lot less than an N-95 or double-layer fabric mask".

cross-woven double-layer fabric mask

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