COVID-19: First Minister’s Statement on 18 June
Today, Thursday 18 June 2020, the First Minister confirmed that due to the positive action and response to date by the Scottish public, Scotland will be entering Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Route Map to recovery. As the First Minister stated today, Phase 2 will see a staged introduction of measures over the coming weeks. This is a clear, positive and welcome step forward in Scotland’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to this statement and the details contained in it, STS will be working on Phase 2 guidance that we hope to be able to provide soon, however we will need to make sure we carefully review the details of what has been published to make sure we can provide the correct advice to clubs. However, in summary from what was announced today, Phase 2 will not mark a significant change to the guidelines issued under Phase 1 with respect to target shooting.
The First Minster commented at the start of her announcement that the pace at which things are moving will be frustrating and for our members and clubs we appreciate that you will be sharing in this frustration. However, it is worth noting that from a public health perspective, the fact that the Scottish Government feels confident to move to Phase 2 is a positive indicator that progress is being made which can only be beneficial for us all and lead to the faster, and safer, resumption of our sport in full. We ask all clubs across Scotland to continue to follow the guidance and to reiterate the First Minister, if you are uncertain, act on the side of caution for the safety and good health of all involved.
As with Phase 1, STS will be working with our partners at sportscotland, the Scottish Clay Target Association and Police Scotland to provide clear, simple, concise and consistent guidance regarding Phase 2 for the whole target shooting community. We will again look to guidance already issued from shooting bodies down south to tie in with this guidance where appropriate but as ever, we would remind everyone that each home nation is moving at its own pace with a different approach to recovering from this pandemic and we must ensure first and foremost that we comply with Scottish Government guidance. Additionally, we would also emphasise the message that every club is different and just because the guidance may indicate that your club can open, it is for each club to decide if this is the right action to take in the best interests of your club and its members.
Finally, STS would like to thank the shooting community for its patience, continued respect of the guidelines, and careful and measured approach towards restarting activity safely, all of which has led us to this next positive step. All sport, including target shooting, has such a positive role to play in keeping us in shape both mentally and physically and we hope that by continuing to work together, we can all get back to doing what we love again soon.